


Save My Soul

by Lady_Mischievous



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-20
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-01-13 04:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1212286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Mischievous/pseuds/Lady_Mischievous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Fic. Between this life and the next there stands the city of Sternbild. The place where death and miracles are treated like a business and the cycle of life is diligently managed by creatures known as grim reapers. Beings created from hand-picked souls who have committed horrid sins and must pay penance by serving a mysterious pantheon of gods.</p><p>Just what does it take to redeem the sinner? How far are the grim reapers willing to go to forget their sins?</p><p>Barnaby Brooks Jr., a new 'fledgling' reaper with shattered memories will face these questions as he's placed in the care of Kotetsu, a veteran 'harbinger of death'. With the promise of the end of his sentence Kotetsu will gladly play the role of teacher and guardian. However, there may be more to this assignment than meets the eye. Are Barnaby and Kotetsu truly just random souls that will pass each other like ships in the night? Or are their fates more intertwined than they were led to believe?</p><p>The gods are known for their love of twisted games, are Kotetsu and Barnaby actors in their latest cruel play?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Close Encounter With Death

"Hey, do you like cartoons?"

 

It was a simple question, that caught the nurse working at the reception desk a little off guard. She looked up from her paperwork when she caught the voice of a child amongst the everyday ruckus of the hospital that she worked in. She gazed across the hall and caught sight of a boy playing in his bed watching TV. If she remembered right, the boy's name was Tony. He had been a patient at her hospital for a little over a month. When she heard him speaking, the nurse thought that perhaps the boy's parents have returned for a visit. They were able to come often, if she remembered right Tony mentioned that they had to work hard in the city.

 

"Can I change the channel now, please?"

 

The nurse looked around curiously, it was then that she realized that she couldn't see anybody else in the room with him. Maybe he was actually talking to her? The nurse was about to reply but suddenly the child spoke up again.

 

"I know you like the news, but I'm a little bored. I'd like to see some cartoons, I can find some really good ones, it'll be fun!"

 

The nurse watched as the boy sat up in his bed. To her surprise he wasn't talking to her at all, instead he seemed to be talking to the empty visitors chair that sat next to his bed by the window. She was starting to get a little concerned for the boy.

 

"Tony?" She called to him from across the hall. "Who are you talking to? Is somebody there?"

 

Tony jumped a little, a bit surprised by the sudden question. He looked at the nurse and for a brief moment his eyes darted to the empty chair. He then answered quickly, "O-Oh, uh, nobody!"

 

The nurse gave a nod and smiled sadly before she turned her attention back to her paperwork. She felt bad for him, Tony must've been getting really lonely if he was resorting to making up imaginary friends.

 

Inside the room, Tony picked up the remote on his bed and started to flick through the channels. He was a little more mindful of the volume of his voice. "That was close I thought they noticed you. If they did, would that mean he would have to leave?"

 

"No, they can't see me, only certain people can." Said the gravelly voice of a man.

 

"It's kind of fun being the only one that can see you but I guess I can see why it's a little weird." Tony laughed when he looked back at the chair.

 

Seated in the chair was a tan skinned man. Tony would often catch himself gazing them and interest in all. His visitor wasn't young but at the same time he was an old either. He looked around the same age as his mom or dad, they probably would've liked him if they met him. He was also dressed in smart clothes, a little like ones that his dad once wore at his grandmother's funeral. The man also wore black pants and a gray vest over a lighter gray dress shirt with a long, black overcoat. Tony thought his visitor looked very cool, he almost reminded him of a superhero. Not like Superman, more like one of the darker superheroes that some of the bigger kids would talk about when they brought some of their comics to the playground. The man's hair was a dark reddish brown, it was long and wild but it was brushed back neatly, like his dad's would be for work. Resting on top of the man's head was a black newsboy cap that somehow seem to tie the look of the man's style together.

 

Tony never really understood why some boys liked having long hair like girls. However his friend was cool enough where Tony didn't mind. After all, he did visit him when he could and they would talk sometimes when his parents were stuck at work. His favorite feature about the seated man was his eyes. They were a bright amber color, it wasn't something that Tony had really seen before. But the man's eyes were warm and kind and something about them made him feel like things are going to be okay.

 

"By the way, Mr. Kotetsu, why can't anybody else see you?" Tony asked. He then looked a little excited. "Are you some sort of a ghost?"

 

Kotetsu looked a little lost on how to answer, he took a moment to think over the best way that he could explain it without scaring the kid. "I guess you could say I'm a ghost, I _was_ alive once. But that was a real long time ago, kid. You could say that I'm sort of like a police officer for ghosts."

 

"So wait, you fight crime? For dead people? Then you really are like a superhero, huh?" Tony asked, his excitement grew a little more at the thought of knowing a real-life superhero. Or perhaps real- _dead_ ' superhero was the better way of saying it. "That's so cool!"

 

Kotetsu couldn't help but smile, he rather liked visiting Tony. It was sure a surprise to him when he realized the kid could see him. However, the reason why was really troubling. As Kotetsu gazed at Tony, he could see something that the boy couldn't.

 

If Tony could see it, it would have looked like something was leaking from his chest. A light blue glowing vapor was the best way to describe it. It was the boy's soul and it was what attracted Kotetsu to begin with. Watching it stirred a carnal instinct and the man, it was a need to end the boy's life and take his soul. Tony didn't have that much longer and Kotetsu knew it but he still did his best to hold back on his instincts.

 

Kotetsu hated having to end the life of children, it hurt him deep inside. Instincts from a life long ago would often cry out in protest whenever he had to take the souls of children to the afterlife. However he couldn't fight it, it was his job as a Grim Reaper to collect souls and send them to where they needed to go.

 

Tony's case was a little strange though, it was very rare that people could see a Grim Reaper in this day and age. The world of the living and the world of lore had since separated themselves as humanity embraced science and technology, leaving behind the world of spirits and amazing creatures. The rules of life and death had changed since Kotetsu first took up the job. However, when strange cases like Tony's arose it left Kotetsu with a little more wiggle room to bend the rules without as many repercussions.

 

Tony's case was still up in the air as far as Kotetsu was concerned. He couldn't quite understand why the kid's soul was acting the way it was. Aside from that, Tony himself seemed to be fairly healthy. This 'mystery illness' that he contracted didn't seem to be something from the mortal realm. It meant that Kotetsu would have to investigate, which also meant Tony was off the chopping block for a while.

 

"So what kind of things do you fight?" Tony suddenly asked, breaking Kotetsu's chain of thought. "Are there villains or criminals that you have to catch?"

 

"Something like that, it's a little hard to explain. There's a lot that humans don't seem to remember." Kotetsu said with a nervous laugh. "But that doesn't mean that they forgot you..."

 

Tony frowned, not quite sure what to make of Kotetsu's answer. However he wasn't able to dwell on it as he suddenly noticed subtle changes in the air. Tony shivered a little as he pulled the blankets on his bed closer. It was suddenly awfully cold in the room, he could even see his breath. The lights above them flickered and fizzled, and frost started to appear on the window pane. Tony felt afraid, it felt like something was watching him and getting closer. He looked towards the door of his room, the nurse didn't seem to notice anything. Tony's head then snapped back and look towards Kotetsu.

 

"Mr. Kotetsu? What's happening?"

 

Kotetsu stood up from his seat, he felt his skin crawl with prickles of anticipation. That sudden carnal instinct returned, a low inhuman growl escaped him for the briefest moment. His eyes darted about the room and search for signs to show him what was approaching. Tony was a nice kid a but Kotetsu wasn't there for the conversation. The business of collecting souls wasn't always easy, sometimes there was competition. A weakened soul like Tony's that was so close to death had a nasty habit of attracting more unsavory creatures.

 

"M-Mr. Kotetsu..." Tony stuttered as he stared past Kotetsu and out the window. The poor boy was terrified, he could feel his heart start to hammer in his chest. He couldn't see what was coming but he could surely feel it. "There's something outside."

 

Kotetsu looked out the window, that strange growl returned and rumbled in his throat. He then held out his hand above his shadow, it twisted and morphed and from it emerged a large vicious looking weapon. It was a large scythe, the type that was an icon for his kind, wrapped around it was a long silver chain and a weight at the end.

 

A large, pale hand with elongated fingers slid its way up to the middle of the window and pressed against the pane. The glass screamed out a shrill squeal as the creature's black clawed nails dragged across it. Its flesh was grayish and pale, veins could be seen, some were even bulging out from the wrinkled leathery skin. The index finger of the hand started to lightly tap on the glass, pointing at the little boy that sat helplessly in his bed.

 

Kotetsu moved to right in front of the window and drew back his scythe. Without warning the hand on the windows suddenly phased right through the solid matter and wrapped itself tightly around Kotetsu's neck before he could attack. The hand then pulled on him quickly sending the old Grim Reaper forward to meeting solid matter with a loud 'thud'. It was almost a funny site seeing the man with half of his face squished against the glass of the window.

 

The loud sound of the window being hit did catch the attention of the nurse from across the hall. She looked up again and saw Tony looking right at the window, she couldn't see Kotetsu or the grotesque hand that was slowly trying to crush his throat.

 

"Sh-should I call for help?" Tony asked as he watched Kotetsu being slammed against the window again.

 

Before Kotetsu could even answer he suddenly phased through the window and was pulled outside of the room. He soon found himself quickly meeting with the pavement of a parking lot five stories below with a loud crunch. For a moment Kotetsu lied motionless, his body looking broken from the fall. Suddenly with a jerk and a flinch his body started to correct itself with audible pops and cracks from the joints and bones as they readjusted. Kotetsu forced himself to sit up and looked back towards the hospital building.

 

Clinging to the wall of the building was what one could simply call a monster. In truth it was a demon, creatures that feasted on souls. They could come in many shapes and forms and this one was thin and almost reptilian in build. Its skin was pale, almost an ashy gray, with the large bulging veins and a long lizard like tail. The demon seemed to forget all about Kotetsu and returned its attention to Tony in the hospital room.

 

Kotetsu forced himself up on his feet and lifted his scythe,  the chain that was attached to it suddenly wriggled to life and launched itself at the demon. The chain coiled itself around the creature's torso and glowed as the silvery chain started to burn the demon's skin.

 

The demon whipped its head around and stared down at Kotetsu, it had no features on its face until it opened its jaws. The skin tore open revealing rows of sharp teeth that were more like jagged knives as it roared and hissed at the Grim Reaper. It then launched itself from the wall landing on the pavement below and started to charge.

 

Kotetsu dismissed the chain that coiled around the demon. He rolled out of the way of the creature as it stampeded past. Kotetsu managed to swing his scythe and nailed the beast in its side. He was then pulled along for the ride as the demon wailed and charged wildly whipping Kotetsu around like a ragdoll. The old Grim Reaper managed to kick off of the beast, tearing the hole he made in its side bigger.

 

The blood that seeped from the demon's wounds was black and thick like molasses. Kotetsu held his scythe at the ready, not fully sure just what it would do next. These demons were becoming more frequent in recent years. It was becoming a growing problem for the grim reapers as they tried to do their job. The demons were after the souls that they would collect and would devour them, snuffing them out from existence. The thought of that ugly bastard would be after Tony's soul made Kotetsu's skin crawl. The kid was so young, he didn't deserve a fate like that.

 

Luckily, despite the demon's size, it didn't seem like it was incredibly powerful. However even weak demons could have a few tricks up their sleeves. The creature hissed in a serpentine manner as it practically grinned at Kotetsu. Then without warning its tongue lashed out from its mouth like a frog's.

 

Kotetsu moved to block it but the creature was too fast. He felt a sharp pain just above his stomach. He looked down to find himself impaled, he looked up and was suddenly pulled towards the creature at a blinding speed. Only to be stopped when the creature held out its hand and gripped where Kotetsu's shoulder met his neck. The old Grim Reaper came to a violent stop meeting face-to-face with the demon and its rancid breath.

 

In desperation Kotetsu swung his scythe again only to find that his arms were starting to feel heavy, like a pair of lead weights. He looked down at the creature's tongue that still had him speared. It must've been dripping with some sort of venom. Kotetsu could feel himself losing control over his body as it began to slowly feel numb. The demon was a lot smarter than it appeared, it was truly a predator.

 

With one of its elongated fingers it mockingly tapped Kotetsu on the chest, right where the Grim Reaper's heart would've been. It knew exactly where to strike and what little goodies were hidden inside the body of its prey. The demon then pulled its arm back, readying itself to strike.

 

Kotetsu swallowed, though he couldn't quite feel it, he knew his body was trembling in fear. So it had all come to this? That thought along with a brief flash of memory was all he could think about. He had failed, not only Tony but also the people that he cherished most. They had waited for nothing.

 

Kotetsu clenched his eyes shut as the demon lunged its arm forward.

 

Suddenly there was the piercing sound of the gunshot from a distance. Kotetsu felt something fly right past his head and heard the snarls of the demon come to a sudden stop. The old Grim Reaper hesitated before he opened his eyes. When he finally did, he was greeted by the sight of a gunshot wound right in the middle of the beast's forehead. The body of the demon started to go limp the spear like tongue became flaccid and Kotetsu fell as the creature collapsed.

 

Still having a hard time moving, it took a lot of effort for Kotetsu to be able to crawl away from the demon's body. Not wanting to take any chances with the beast. The venom still flowed through his veins as he felt the numbness continue to seize his body. Kotetsu finally couldn't crawl anymore and lied on the pavement of the hospital's parking lot. He struggled to keep breathing, his eyes darted around looking for any other predator that might notice an injured old reaper like him. He would be easy prey.

 

The sound of footfalls approaching caught Kotetsu's attention. He tried to tighten his grip on his scythe and lift it to attack. However a boot suddenly landed on its handle and ended any attempt. Kotetsu tried to look up at the boot's owner but his vision was starting to blur out of focus. He could've sworn that he heard the figure talking to him but all sound was distorted. It sounded as if he were submerged underwater. Kotetsu's eyes ached and his eyelids felt all to heavy, he could feel himself slowly slip out of consciousness.

 

Was the guy saying something about wasting three minutes of someone's life?

 

-End of Chapter 1-


	2. The City of Purgatory

_Kotetsu gazed up at the moon high above him in the night sky. Its silvery face was the silent witness to a horrible crime of betrayal and murder. Kotetsu himself was sprawled out on his back, not quite dead, yet he certainly on his way there. He was disoriented, he could feel his senses were starting to fade. His body desperately clung to whatever it could to stay in the realm of the living. A wave of pain hit Kotetsu as his attentions were brought down to his torso. Sunk deep into his stomach was his kusarigama, his bladed companion that had served him well for years. How ironic  that it would be used to end his life._

_Kotetsu could feel a warm breeze brush against his skin, carrying the smell of blood mixed with the scent of the springtime flowers that bloomed in the garden of his home. They were admiring the flowers that night, him, Tomoe, and little Kaede when he saw somebody approaching their home. Kotetsu suddenly tensed and coughed as he choked on his own blood and turned his head to the side so not to drown in it. He was met with the sight of his dead wife and child, they were lying in their own blood a good distance away from him. The strangled cry of despair managed to escape his throat as Kotetsu reached out to them. His cries became louder as his despair started to give way to a burning rage that welled up deep within him. Kotetsu knew who did this, he should've seen the warning signs. That bastard was going to get away with it and it was all because he was too weak._

_"Do you want revenge for them?"_

_Kotetsu's eyes widened when he heard the voice. He looked around for its owner but saw no one. He would've called out for them to show themselves but his voice wasn't working anymore. The spring air started to feel a little chilly as there seemed to be an ominous presence carried with it._

"Are you awake, old man?"

 

Kotetsu jerked awake at the sudden voice and blinked a couple of times to clear his foggy vision.

 

"It's about time!"

 

Kotetsu's attention was caught immediately when he heard the familiar voice of a girl. He looked to his bedside and saw a beautiful young lady. She had long , dirty blonde hair that flowed past her shoulders and framed her heart-shaped face, her lips were in a cute pout and she had eyes that were light Brown but still darker than Kotetsu's. She was dressed in a classy black dress that was formal but still had a slightly stylish flair that suited the girl her age. What showed of her legs were covered in black tights and long boots that cut off just below the knees.

 

"Sheesh! Aren't you supposed to be _Mr. Experience_? You went and got your ass handed to you by a _low level_ demon! That's embarrassing!" The little lady jabbed as she crossed her arms and looked at the old grim reaper disapprovingly. Her scolding continued, though there was a little more concern, "You were almost killed out there, can't you learn to be more careful?"

 

"Karina..." Kotetsu muttered, he was fully awake by that point. His amber eyes looked a little sad after he was hit with all her scolding.

 

The girl blushed slightly at hearing her name. All concern soon disappeared from her face as she suddenly started to frown at him again. "You're so lame."

 

"Aww, come on Karina, no need to be picking on an old man like me." Kotetsu whined as he tried to smile. His smile became more sheepish when he saw the look Karina was giving him. She seemed to have no interest in giving him any pity. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you were actually a little worried about me."

 

Karina's eyes widen in surprise when she heard that. Her cheeks then puffed slightly as she pouted and looked away from the older man. She unconsciously reached up and started to coil strands of her hair around one of her fingers. "As if! It would just be a real pain in the ass if that demon ate you." She then finally made eye contact with him again looking more stern as she became more serious. "You _know_ what would happen."

 

Kotetsu's smile collapsed altogether when he heard that. Leave it to Karina to beat him in the head with some common sense. He swallowed as the thought made his stomach churn. That demon was weak but if it devoured an old soul plump with power, then there was no telling just what that thing could have become. It was one of the ironic things about being a grim reaper. They were the harbingers of death and collectors of souls yet that didn't mean that they were invulnerable. There was a lot to fear with what the power of death could attract.

 

Souls went through what was called the cycle of life, going from one life to the next until they reached what some would call Nirvana. With souls came the energy of lives lived that could add on to the power of those that devoured them. If a living being lost its soul it wouldn't be long before the body would die. This was something that held true for grim reapers as well. However the body of a grim reaper was different as it wasn't a true living body but something that was built in the reapers image when they were alive so it could house their soul.

 

The heaviness of the mood left Kotetsu feeling a little anxious. His hands were on his lap, he fidgeted a little, not being able to sit still with things as they were. It also didn't help that it was Karina, of all people, who scolding him like this. While she was a formidable reaper in her own right, she was also one of the youngest.

 

"Hey, there's no need to get that worked up about it." Kotetsu insisted as he held up his hands defensively. He offered a sheepish smile, hoping to put the girl's mind at ease, even just a little. "I did mess up, but I lucked out. I just have to be more careful next time."

 

"That's what you always say though!" Karina almost shouted, she stomped her foot out of frustration.

 

Kotetsu cringed at her sudden outburst and sunk deeper into the bed. It was obvious that there would be no reasoning with Karina. As much as Kotetsu didn't want to admit it, she was right in the end. He had been becoming a little too reckless lately. She was a spirited girl that knew just how to put him in his place. Under different circumstances he probably would have found that very attractive.

 

Karina noticed that there was a certain look that she was getting from Kotetsu. It made her blush a little, again she started playing with her hair as she looked away from him. She then spoke in a condescending tone. "Honestly, I always thought you were supposed get wiser with age. In your case you've just gone senile."

 

"Ouch. You always know where to hit me where it hurts." Kotetsu said flatly as he slumped in defeat. He decided it was time for a subject change, not needing any more of Karina's wrath. "Oh, I forgot to ask, were you the one that saved me?"

 

Karina looked a little surprised by the question. She frowned slightly as she thought back on what she had heard, there were plenty of rumors going around already. Kotetsu was in for a world of embarrassment when he got back to work. "No, it wasn't me. I wouldn't use a gun."

 

That was right, Kotetsu remembered that it was a gunshot wound he saw. Karina's weapon of choice was a large knife. He went over the list of reapers that he currently knew and which weapons they chose for themselves. As far as he could remember, he didn't know anybody that used guns. It wasn't long before Kotetsu decided to drop thinking about the matter. He was sure by now there would probably be rumors or some sort of information out there. News could travel fast amongst the grim reapers. Kotetsu gave a small groan as he thought about all the guff he was going to get for such an embarrassment.

 

"Anyway, now's not really the time to be thinking about that." Karina said as she rested one hand on her hip and pointed it Kotetsu accusingly with the other. "You have to focus on recovering, that means no work until you're fully healed. This time actually _wait_ until you are  _fully_ healed! Not like that time a couple of months ago."

 

Kotetsu gave her a sheepish grin. "Oh, a couple months ago? My memory seems to be going, what exactly happened again?" What he got in response was an icy glare from the girl that made him sink further into the bed.

 

"Stop acting like an idiot." Karina's voice was chilling as she said it. So cold that the temperature in the room actually dropped. She wasn't going to play any of Kotetsu's stupid little games. It was a serious matter and he needed to remember that. "I'm serious, you have to rest. You remember why you're doing all of this, right?"

 

Kotetsu's goofy grin faded, turning into a look of fear. His mind started to wander back to the dream he had, of that night so long ago that still haunted him to this very day. Kotetsu tried pushing the thought back, he cleared his throat and rubbed one of his temples. "I'm sorry. I guess I've been spending too much time trying to forget."

 

"We all do, but we can't forget completely." Karina felt a little bad for bringing up the past. All grim reapers had at least one memory that they wanted to forget. That was the memory of their sin, sins that earned them their punishment to begin with. Karina pressed on, even though she was getting mental glimpses of her own sin as she did. "If we do, then what are we fighting for anymore?"

 

"Surely, you didn't come to visit me just to give me a lecture, did you?" Kotetsu did his best to sound more lighthearted. He offered her a serene smile. It was time to change the mood and steer the conversation elsewhere. Kotetsu got the point and didn't want to remember his sin. He didn't want Karina to dwell on the memory of her own sin just because he made a dumb mistake.

 

"Oh...um..." Karina averted her gaze from Kotetsu.

 

She had suddenly remembered the reason that she really came to visit. It was a little embarrassing, she had a certain sugary treat that she had brought for Kotetsu. Originally she was just going to leave it for him in his sleep. That was until she saw that he was having a nightmare. Karina looked at the old grim reaper, his curious gaze and gentle smile only served to make her feel even more embarrassed. Karina dug into the bag that she brought with her and pulled out a bag of candies that Kotetsu had particularly liked. They were sort of classic candy, well before her time. She had found them in one of the shops by chance and remembered that Kotetsu was rather fond of them. It was a get well present.

 

Kotetsu looked at the gift curiously and then looked up at Karina. His gentle smile turned sly as he gladly reached out for the candies. "Aww, so you _were_  worried about me?"

 

"Shut up! If you weren't such a klutz I wouldn't have to be!" 

 

Karina huffed and walked closer to the bed and tossed the little bag of candies at him. Kotetsu jumped and flailed to catch the bag, only to miss and have it bounce off his face. Luckily he didn't send it flying across the room and finally caught it in between his hands.

 

"You really are sweet kid." Kotetsu said with a tone of fondness that made him seem almost charming.

 

Karina blushed and gave the man a stubborn look. She wasn't about to admit that she found him handsome. She folded her arms over her chest and looked for something to distract her from looking at him. If she had a heart, it would be beating hard in her chest. "Would you stop treating me like a kid? You know I'm a lot older than I look."

 

"I know..." Kotetsu said as he scratched the back of his head, looking little sheepish. He knew that he went and got her angry again.

 

Before Karina could say anything more, a bracelet on her wrist suddenly started to glow. Both her and Kotetsu looked at it, the light hearted mood instantly disappeared.

 

"Looks like you're needed somewhere." Kotetsu said as he still stared at the bracelet. He then looked at his own but found that it wasn't reacting. He then shook his hand trying to see if the darn thing was broken. When he still didn't get a reaction he had a sour look on his face.

 

"Don't you get any ideas!" Karina said as she pointed at him accusingly. "You're in no shape for work! You'd be nothing more but a juicy fat piece of bait for demons."

 

"Sheesh, are you calling me fat?" Kotetsu said jokingly with a laugh.

 

"I'm serious Kotetsu, if I hear that you snuck out of the hospital." Karina then summoned her weapon to emphasize her point. It was a large silver knife with delicate designs on the back of the blade. She pointed the tip of the knife right at Kotetsu, which caused him to hold his hands up defensively. "I'll hunt you down and end your afterlife myself."

 

"So scary!" Kotetsu whimpered as the tip of the knife was lightly pressed against the skin of his throat. He raised his hands in mock surrender, looking almost comical.

 

Suddenly, one of the nurses of the hospital walked into the room carrying an envelope with them. They paused when they saw the threatening scene. Karina and Kotetsu looked at each other then at the nurse, both a little embarrassed at being caught in such an awkward moment.

 

"Mr. Kaburagi, it's good to see that you're awake." the nurse said. "There was a message left for you."

 

The nurse set the envelope down on a little table by the bed. Both Karina and Kotetsu stared at the little envelope for a moment. On it was an intricate wax seal that they both knew all too well. It was from the Grim Reaper HQ and more than likely they had a few choice words for Kotetsu's performance.

 

"Looks like there's no rest for the wicked..." Kotetsu sighed as he picked up the envelope from the table. He picked at the wax seal and peeled it off of the paper. He opened it and pulled out a little letter that waited for him and started to read. Kotetsu suddenly noticed that Karina was still there, looking rather concerned. "You go on ahead, this is nothing to do with me being in the field right now."

 

"Okay, if you say so." Karina turned and started make her way out of the room she paused at the door and looked back at Kotetsu one more time. "Remember what I said about resting while you can, I won't forgive you if I find out you went and got into a more trouble."

 

The serious look on Kotetsu's face melted into a smile. "I know, you get going before _you_ get into trouble. Go knock them dead, okay?"

 

Karina rolled her eyes at the pun and shook her head. It was obvious she was resisting the urge to smile at Kotetsu's lame joke. So with saying nothing else she hurried out of the room and made her way down the hall.

 

Kotetsu looked back at the letter, it was a summons. He was to go to headquarters as soon as he could walk again. Kotetsu felt a little nervous, it was quite possible it meant one of two things. On the optimistic side, it could mean that 'The Powers That Be' were finally considering letting him go. The more pessimistic side of Kotetsu toyed with the thought that perhaps they thought it better if they tacked on even more years of service to his sentence.

 

Kotetsu nibbled on his bottom lip, going over the possibilities and his head. He then set the letter down and tested to see if he could move his legs. His body ached in protest and his legs stubbornly stayed still. Kotetsu's body still needed time to heal but if it was a summons that could possibly mean that he could be free he had to hurry. The Powers That Be had a tendency of being very fickle.

 

Kotetsu took a deep breath and concentrated. It wasn't long before his eyes switched from a golden brown to a glowing sky blue. The light blue glow then enveloped his entire body as Kotetsu kept concentrating. He could feel some of the pain in his body ease as the healing process started to speed up. It still hurt like hell though and using his power in such a way was much more tiring than it would have been if it was used normally. Finally Kotetsu's concentration broke as he gasped. He wiped the sweat away from his brow before he tested his legs again.

 

This time they worked, a little awkward at first, but he could finally move them. Kotetsu forced himself to move and sit at the edge of the bed. He took a couple of moments to catch his breath as he could feel his power trying to recover. It would be a good while but it shouldn't be too dangerous to make his way to headquarters. After all, it was located in a more secure part of the city.

 

It took a while for Kotetsu to move around steadily enough to convince the hospital staff that he was okay to leave. He was still a little wobbly but was able to make his way out of the hospital, redressed in his formal black work attire. Kotetsu carefully made his way down the sidewalks of an otherworldly metropolis. He passed by and walked among creatures that ranged in looking from human to the most bizarre and beastly. These were all denizens of a strange city known as Sternbild.

 

It was the city of purgatory, shaped and molded by beings who everyone merely called 'The Powers That Be'. It was believed that they were old gods that were long forgotten by man and made their home in the space between life and death. The legend was that they crafted a home for all the other creatures of lore that were slowly being forgotten and nudged out of the world of mortals.

 

The city itself had not only beings from various parts of the mortal world but also structures such as buildings and statues from various nations and cultures. It was a truly bizarre little world, so eclectic that the best way to describe it was that it was much like a patchwork blanket. There were giant statues of long forgotten God's or buildings that were reminiscent of temples. Other parts of the city seemed to be of different times, past meeting present where small old-fashioned shops would be not too far from high tech looking stores. Up above it all was a large glowing orb that looked much like the moon. However the moon like orb actually sat atop a large tower, it was in the shape of a winged goddess that held the orb aloft in the air above her head. It was said that that was where The Powers That Be resided and it was also where their creations, the grim reapers, called their headquarters.

 

Kotetsu took a moment to pause before he could go any closer to the Goddess Tower. He needed to catch his breath as his fatigue was starting to catch up with him. It seemed like he would have to take Karina's advice and take some time to rest for a while. Kotetsu's hand went to his chest,  where his heart would've been. Even if there was no heart there he could still feel the ache of nervousness in that space. Kotetsu couldn't remember how many times he had been disappointed but there was always still a flicker of hope that his next summons would be the announcement that he had finally served his penance. Kotetsu sighed as he finally felt a little better and continued his way to the tower before him.

 

-End of Chapter 2-


	3. The Grim Fledgling

Little could rival the elegance that was interior of the goddess tower. It was a place that was bright and rich, decorated with polished marble floors, stone columns that were reminiscent of Greek temples of old, and intricate carvings and portraits on the ceilings of major rooms. Many of which depicted what many believed were 'The Powers That Be' themselves and some of their past exploits. Even scenes of them leading the creatures of lore into the world of Sternbild. Though not many could vouch if these were accurate representations or probably just political propaganda.

 

The tower was a very busy place, in a sense it was much like a station. Many creatures and grim reapers would pass by or use the services provided by the tower. Many of the grim reapers had to answer to beings that resided in the tower that were in charge of the management of life and death. It was also where gateways to various places in the mortal realm and places beyond purgatory resided. The goddess tower served as both a place of business and a way station of the afterlife.

 

Kotetsu made his way through the main lobby with a purpose as he seeked out the information desk in the center of the large room. Upon reaching it he took off his hat in respect for the service clerk. "Ah, miss? Kaburagi here, I believe I was called in for an appointment."

 

The service clerk was a girl, or so she seemed, she was more doll like if anything else with porcelain-like skin and platinum hair cut in a short bob. She was talking to a blond man wearing a blue flight jacket before Kotetsu's voice caught her attention. She turned to the computer on her desk to pull up the information.

 

Kotetsu glanced up at the man that she was talking to and smiled, he recognized him right away. "Hey there Keith, it's been a while. I see that you're getting along with Cis."

 

"Hello! And hello again Mr. Kaburagi!" Keith said with a smile as he gave his usual spirited greeting. He soon realized the last part of what Kotetsu said and started to blush. The charming blond began to look a little bashful as he looked down at his hands and twiddled his thumbs. "I guess you can say that, we've been spending a little more time together. Going to lunch and the park once in a while... But it's not like we're dating, I think..."

 

Kotetsu laughed and raised his hand signaling to Keith that he didn't need to say anything more. "Easy there slugger, I get the picture."

 

Keith opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when a bracelet on his wrist started to glow. He looked down at it and looked a little disappointed, it always seemed to pick the most inappropriate times to go off. "I'm sorry Mr. Kaburagi, it looks like I have to go but we'll talk again! Goodbye and goodbye again!"

 

Kotetsu gave him a nod and watched as the young man summoned a pair of wings from his back and took flight. It wasn't the only grim reapers that did business in the goddess tower, other creatures such as angels weren't an uncommon sight. Though nobody was fully sure just what their jobs were, they were very secretive creatures. (Unless it was Keith, who was honest to a fault.) There were many rumors surrounding them and just what role that they played in the cycle of life.

 

"Mr. Kaburagi..." called Cis, interrupting the man's thoughts. "Your appointment is with Agnes Joubert, you are clear to visit her office."

 

"Agnes...?" Kotetsu said with a little unease.

 

He knew her very well, they went as far back as the day that he arrived in purgatory. Though her rank in the goddess tower had risen since then, it was a little surprising that she would request a meeting with him. This gave Kotetsu a little hope, perhaps since his days in purgatory started with her, they might also end with her. Kotetsu thanked Cis and started to make his way towards the business section of the goddess tower where there were elevators that went to different levels. The lowest levels of the tower were for travel, the levels above that were for the management of life and death, and highest levels and the very top of the tower were reserved for The Powers That Be and their angels. 

 

The elevator ride up felt slower than it really was. Kotetsu could feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach, he was more nervous than he wanted to admit. The elevator that he was riding in was see-through, it had windows instead of walls where he could see the city as it ascended. Kotetsu tried to calm his nerves by watching the peaceful scene of Sternbild. Sometimes it was nice to take a moment to pause and just enjoy things. Something that he was able to do more of with his lengthy sentence. To others it made him seem as though he was very laid-back, which was probably true, to an extent. Kotetsu was old, probably far too old for this job with the way it was run now. Years of tradition have been long forgotten, there wasn't much room for a relic like him.

 

Kotetsu's thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of a 'ding' as the elevator finally came to a stop. He turned around and exited as the doors opened for him and found himself in a long hallway. Doors to various offices that belonged to managers of grim reapers lined the walls. He could see at the end of the hall was one door with a name drawn across a foggy glass window. It read 'Agnes Joubert, head director of the department of life and death'.

 

Kotetsu sucked in a breath and gave a long sigh to help him steel his nerves. That woman could smell fear like sharks could smell blood. The last thing he needed was to show her weakness. Kotetsu started to make his way down the hallway, glancing at some of the names written on the doors of the offices. He could only recognize a few of the the names, many of the ones he once knew had long since moved on. Another reminder that time never stood still, even in death. Kotetsu continued on, not wanting to think about time and just how long he had been in service anymore. Hope. That was all he had to hold on to. Maybe,  _just maybe_ , it was finally all over. When he finally reached Agnes's office he hesitantly knocked on the door.

 

"Come in."

 

Kotetsu opened the door and cautiously peeked his head into the room. He quickly took off his hat and said apologetically, "Ah, sorry if I'm a little late! Hello Agnes!"

 

He couldn't help but smile a little when he saw the decor of the office, it was rather luxurious but also had a look of professionalism. It suited her. He found himself looking eye to eye with Agnes he briefly broke eye contact when something else caught his attention. Seated in a chair across from Agnes's desk was a young man with blond curly hair.

 

The young man had such a serious look about him, it made Kotetsu feel little uneasy. Though he had to admit the kid was handsome, in almost a princely sort of way. It wasn't hard for Kotetsu to imagine girls swooning over a guy like him. Possibly even his little Kaede, if she wasn't... Kotetsu tried to shake that sudden grim thought. He didn't need to be thinking of such things.

 

"It's been a long time, Kotetsu." Said the woman standing in front of the desk. She was as beautiful as she was imposing. She had long, brown wavy hair that framed her face and contrasted well with her mischievous green eyes.

 

"It's good to see you too, what did you want for me today?" Kotetsu asked as he walked further into her office.

 

"Mr. Brooks, this is the reaper I was talking to you about. His name is Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, he's very old-fashioned but still gets the job done." Agnes explained to the young blond. She looked up at Kotetsu and had a slight smirk on her face. "Kotetsu, meet Barnaby Brooks Jr., he's a fledgling that you are going to be training."

 

Kotetsu's eyes widened and his mouth went slack, he looked as though he was just slapped in the face. A fledgling? He was going to be babysitting?  _That_  was what this was all about? Kotetsu's hands clenched into fists as his shock gave way to irritation.

 

"A fledgling!?" Kotetsu suddenly shouted, has temper flew right out the window. He raked one of his hands roughly through his hair as he grew aggravated by the situation that they just tossed in his lap. "Are you kidding? I'm already in a deep investigation, what makes you think that I'm able to take on a fledgling now?!"

 

"Kaburagi, watch your tongue." Agnes said with a glare, her tone was dripping with venom. "Don't you dare forget that I could always put you right back where I found you."

 

"W-Whoa...I...Okay, I'm sorry." Kotetsu raised his hands defensively and took a step back submissively.

 

Barnaby watched the older man, quietly surprised at how his mood had suddenly changed. Just what did Agnes mean by that? Barnaby looked curiously at the woman and noticed her giving an annoyed sigh.

 

Agnes was never fond of using that particular leverage on Kotetsu. She wouldn't really send him to hell, she could still remember what the man was like when she first found him. Still, Kotetsu was powerful and a guy like him could not be allowed to fly off the handle.

 

"But you do understand where I'm coming from, don't you?" Kotetsu said as carefully as he could, minding his tone. He rubbed the back of his neck as he calmed down a little. "I'm right in the middle of an investigation and taking on a fledgling is going to be a lot of work."

 

"That's the beauty of it, Barnaby here is from the latest batch of students from the Reaper Academy." Agnes started to explain, she sounded a little more pleased as if she were looking forward boasting about it. "He's already aware of the basics of what a Grim Reaper's job is. He was marked one of the highest in his classes and is a very quick study. I don't think he will get in your way, in fact he might end up being a very good partner for you on your investigation."

 

"That hokey death school thing that they've been trying to push?" Kotetsu scoffed. He always thought it was a silly idea to have a school for such a thing. It wasn't like books were going to teach you how to deal with reaping the soul of a child or how to ignore the screams and pleads of a dying person. Kotetsu swallowed as he thought back for a brief moment on how he had to first deal with such things. He wasn't too sure if he could make it, he wasn't too sure how a school could teach a lesson like that. "If he's pretty much trained already then why give him to me?"

 

"My thoughts exactly." Barnaby spoke up abruptly. He had done his best to be courteous throughout the conversation and not interrupt. "I don't quite understand why I have to have a mentor when I've already studied with far more qualified people."

 

Kotetsu slowly looked over at Barnaby, he had a shocked look on his face. Did that little brat really just say that? Kotetsu frowned, a small growl made its way into his voice, "You have some gall, kid..."

 

"Okay, the both of you calm down or else I'll send you both on a one way trip to Hell!" Agnes interrupted them as she slammed a hand on her desk, demanding their attention. "The reason is pretty simple, what one learns from books can't always take the place of real life experience."

 

Kotetsu couldn't help the small smirk tug at the corner of his lips at the thought that he was right.

 

Agnes was quick to catch the look on his face and decided to take a quick jab at his ego.  "Of course, there's still a lot that life experience can't teach. Especially with the way death works in this day and age."

 

Kotetsu rolled his eyes and gave a small sigh. The 'new way of death', as some people were calling it, never really sat well with him. Death had become more black and white, cold and calculating even. There was less room for things like miracles and second chances. Old reapers like Kotetsu were now being penalized for doing what they were trained to do when they find that there is a chance that a person could live. Not a lot seemed sacred anymore. Some of the ventures of the grim reapers in the mortal realm were now even being broadcast as entertainment for the denizens of Sternbild. The balance between life and death seemed to be becoming more of a game.

 

Agnes spoke again, catching Kotetsu's attention. "As you should know Mr. Kaburagi, there has been a rise in deaths of grim reapers recently."

 

Kotetsu looked a little more concerned. He had heard about that but wasn't fully sure if it was official news or just mere rumors. There would be news here and there of demons suddenly starting to seek out grim reapers rather than just souls. If a demon managed to devour the soul of a grim reaper they would gain a hefty amount of power, but it was still a big risk to take on such powerful creatures. If Agnes was worried about it, then it really must have been becoming a serious problem.

 

"Though no one is going to say it officially, the Academy can only do so much. They've been sending out reapers that are inexperienced and weak. That's why they are quietly reinstating the mentor program." Agnes explained, she gave a sigh and rubbed one of her temples. The entire mess was a huge headache for her. "So far Barnaby is one of their top students, with that they want to make sure that he's well taken care of. And what better way to do that than to trust him to one of our oldest reapers in the business?"

 

"Playing to my ego doesn't help ease my troubles, lady." Kotetsu said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He gave a long tired sigh and finally continued, "Honestly, I was hoping this would have been news about ' _something else_ '."

 

"I'm sure you can't really expect ' _that_ ' in the middle of an important investigation, can you?" Agnes countered slyly, using Kotetsu's own complaints against him. She smirked when she saw that she had obviously struck a nerve in the man.

 

Barnaby looked back and forth at the two of them, wondering just what they were talking about. In the end he knew it didn't matter to him, he was just there to get a little bit of training and then finally be given his title as a Grim Reaper.

 

Kotetsu was quiet and wouldn't look at Agnes; he stared off to the side with a look of disappointment painted across his face. This of course only served to annoy Agnes, it was like looking at a kicked kitten.

 

"Look Kotetsu, I'm not supposed to mention this but your case  _is_  under review as we speak." Agnes admitted, she could see Kotetsu's face light up with a little hope. "I said it's under review, it's not a certain thing. But that means you have to impress them in order to cross the finish line, got it?"

 

"Y-Yeah, I got it." Kotetsu could only manage to speak just above a whisper. He was close,  _very_  close. Barnaby apparently was his ticket to the end of his sentence. He looked at Barnaby for a moment, taking in some of the kid's details. From the serious look on the younger man's face Kotetsu had the feeling that this wasn't going to be the easiest job. However any reaper worth their salt would jump at this kind of opportunity, Kotetsu was no different.

 

"Good, so no more complaints? Continue your investigation and show Barnaby the ropes of Sternbild and of what reapers do best." Agnes said with a growing smirk. Glad that she had finally peaked Kotetsu's interest.

 

"Alright then, I guess we should get started!" Kotetsu said with a grin. His tune changing from sour to all too cheeky. He walked over to Barnaby and reached out for a handshake.

 

"Not so fast Kaburagi." Agnes suddenly spoke up. "If I remember right, you still have to recover from your injuries first. You are to begin the boy's training  _after_  you've properly healed."

 

Kotetsu's grin suddenly turned into an exaggeratedly sour scowl, it looked almost comical. Barnaby was almost tempted to laugh, though he managed to refrain. Kotetsu seemed interesting but at the same time he also seemed more of a nuisance than a practical partner. Barnaby wasn't too sure just how well this partnership between them was going to work.

 

"Aw come on! I'm not dead yet, I still got a little fight left in me!" Kotetsu insisted as he flexed one of his arms to emphasize his point. "I'd rather get started right away, the sooner the better, right?"

 

Agnes walked away from her desk and slowly approached Kotetsu. She then poked him in the chest with her well manicured finger and gave him a glare that could make hell freeze over. "No. You're going to heal first. And if I find out that you ignored my orders, I will hunt you down, tear your manhood off, wait until it regrows and tear it off again. Are we clear?"

 

"C-Clear as crystal..." Kotetsu mumbled as he suddenly felt very uncomfortable below the belt.

 

Barnaby couldn't help but cross his legs. Agnes was truly a terrifying woman. In fact the whole situation was a little terrifying. Barnaby had no idea just how he had ended up in the strange world with these strange creatures. If becoming a Grim Reaper and serving penance was his ticket out, he would take it.

 

"Good, then you're both dismissed." Agnes said as she moved a few strands of stray hair out of her face with a satisfied smile. "I'll be keeping tabs on you, so do the best that you can."

 

Barnaby wasted no time getting up from his seat and made his way to the exit out of the office. Kotetsu looked from Agnes to the retreating blond and quickly followed after him.

 

"Hey kid, do you need tour of the city?" Asked Kotetsu as he caught up with Barnaby in the hallway. "Sternbild's a pretty big place, it's easy to get lost. Trouble is that if you do you can end up in big trouble."

 

"I'll be fine..." Barnaby answered quickly. When he reached the elevator he pressed one of the buttons, signaling it to come up to their floor.

 

Kotetsu pouted with disappointment, he reached up and scratched the back of his head and looked away from Barnaby. "It's really no trouble! Oh, did they give you a living assignment yet? I could-"

 

Barnaby cut him off with an annoyed glare. Not only was the old man boorish, he was a meddler to top it off. Could things get any worse? "Can you _please_ stop trying to stick your nose into my business? I said I was fine."

 

The elevator arrived with a soft 'ding' and the doors opened. Both men walked inside and the doors closed behind them allowing the elevator to descend. Barnaby could see the city from the window of the elevator, it was actually his first time getting a good look at the place. So far the only places that he had seen in this purgatorial world was the interior of the grim reaper Academy and the goddess tower. He didn't show it but he was a little in awe at the sight of the city.

 

"There are so many stars out there..." Barnaby thought aloud, he only realized that he spoke when it was too late.

 

"Those aren't stars." Kotetsu said with a small laugh, a little amused with a confused look on Barnaby's face. It was easy to forget just how confusing the purgatory world really was. He could briefly remember how amazed he was when he first arrived in the city and learned the truth of those 'stars'. "Those are buildings, Sternbild doesn't have a sky."

 

Barnaby gave Kotetsu a very skeptical look. Was the old man senile? Those were clearly stars in the night sky. However, he decided to hear the man out. "How is that possible then?"

 

Kotetsu then began making a circular motion with his hands, representing Sternbild's shape. "Okay, think about it like this: Imagine that Sternbild was in the center of a planet. It's built in a circular shape but on the inside of the circle, get it?"

 

Barnaby was quiet, he continued to look confused. He folded his arms over his chest and looked back out the window. He squinted and tried to focus on the distant lights that peppered the sky. He could bare make out tiny dim lights of what could've been cars traveling on streets. Could Kotetsu be telling the truth? "But that doesn't make any sense, it completely defies logic."

 

"Kid, you're in a world with monsters, ghosts, and gods, logic isn't worth much here." Kotetsu said with a smirk. "Are you still sure that you don't want to a tour of the place?"

 

-End of Chapter 3-


	4. Two Worlds Out of Harmony

It had been a few days since Barnaby had first met Kotetsu. In the end he wasn't completely sure just what to make of the man. What he could safely say was that he had a knack for sticking his nose in other people's business. Kotetsu had dragged him all over different parts of the city, insisting on showing him around so not to get lost. Ironically, the older man ended up getting lost a few times himself.

 

Barnaby watched the city from the large window of his apartment. He was given a place that suited both his tastes and needs. It was simple and modern with little furniture to get in his way. It had all the essentials he needed. There was a bedroom, a den, a computer, a kitchen where he could cook, and a large screen on his wall that sometimes he could watch TV or use for his computer. To some it would seem a bit empty and a little too large for single person but for Barnaby it was comfortable. It was taking some time to adjust to the strange world known as Sternbild. The city itself seemed to be in constant night since it had no sky. Its own lights acted as its own set of stars and that giant glowing globe on the top of the Goddess Tower served like a large moon.

 

It was hard for Barnaby to remember the last time he was out in the sun. When he tried to think back on such a time, he would sometimes be met with headaches. It was as though part of him wasn't allowing himself to remember. It was strange, it wasn't like that with all his memories. Barnaby could remember bits and pieces, a little of when he was a child and what his parents were like. He could remember how he grew up and being determined to solve a mystery that involved their deaths. Yet, many of his memories seemed blurry or jumbled and out of order.

 

Barnaby frowned, trying to remember just what it was that he was doing with his life before he died. He tried to concentrate and the more he concentrated he could feel a headache coming. It wasn't too long before a mental picture flashed in his mind. He could hear the faint crackling of fire in his ears and feel his stomach twist as he felt a sudden rush of fear hit him. With a small gasp he stopped trying to force himself to remember.

 

It wasn't long before something caught Barnaby's attention. It was the ringing of the phone in his apartment. He was thankful for the distraction, he walked over to the phone and took a deep breath as he collected his nerves. Finally he answered it.

 

"Hello? This is Brooks speaking." Barnaby answered.

 

"Yo Barnaby! It's Kotetsu! Hey I want to give you a heads up, I'm feeling much better today and I've been cleared to return to work!" Kotetsu announced excitedly. From the way he sounded, it seemed as though he was full of energy and looking to waste it. He must have been fidgety during the time he wasn't allowed to work. "So we are going to start up on your training today! I'll be waiting for you in the lobby of the Goddess Tower!"

 

Barnaby didn't exactly care for how Kotetsu dropped this little announcement onto his lap so suddenly. However, he was anxious to start his training, so it still worked in his favor. "Okay old man, I'll see you there." With that he hung up the phone and began to get ready.

 

Barnaby walked over to his bedroom and opened his closet. He had sets of casual clothes and another set of formal attire all in black. Kotetsu had mentioned to him that was the grim reapers work attire. He said something silly, or at least what seemed silly to Barnaby. Apparently their work attire was meant to be reminiscent of something meant for attending a funeral. Barnaby had thought it was a little ridiculous that such clothing would be required. He closed his closet door and decided to simply go in what he was wearing. His usual black shirt, leather pants, and red and white leather jacket would do. If Kotetsu had complaints he would just have to put up with it. With that Barnaby left his apartment without giving the matter another thought.

 

The goddess tower was just as busy as ever. Kotetsu was in the lobby waiting rather impatiently for his partner to arrive. He tried to sit in one of the lobby chairs only to find that he couldn't sit still and decided to walk around aimlessly instead. Nothing could keep his attention for very long and it aggravated him.

 

"Damn it, where the hell is he?" Kotetsu grumbled to himself. He was startled when he felt something poke him right in the middle of his back. He jumped and quickly turned around, ready to chew Barnaby out for being late. Instead, his words died instantly when he saw who it really was.

 

Kotetsu was met with the frowning face of Karina Lyle. She spoke up in an icy tone, "Aren't you supposed be _resting_ , Kotetsu?"

 

Kotetsu could feel the air around them start to chill. He quickly raised his hands up in defense and smiled sheepishly. "Now, now, calm down Karina, I've been cleared to go back to work. I'm all better! I promise!"

 

Karina coiled a little of her hair around one of her fingers. The air started to warm up again as she looked satisfied hearing that, she even looked a little glad. "Finally, I was a little worried that old body of yours finally broke down. You are an antique, aren't you?"

 

"Ouch..." Kotetsu said with a small forced laugh. He didn't have much room to argue, it wasn't that far from the truth.

 

"So what are you doing waiting around here? I'd imagine you'd be jumping at the opportunity to get back to work." Karina asked. She smiled when an idea suddenly came to her. "If you want, maybe we could go to the mortal world together and-"

 

"Hold that thought." Kotetsu interrupted her when something caught his attention, he looked past her and waved. "Finally!"

 

Karina gave a disappointed scowl. She looked over her shoulder and saw a blond young man approaching. She quirked an eyebrow as she looked him over. "Who's this guy?"

 

"This is Barnaby, he's a fledgling." Kotetsu explained as he beckoned him to come closer. "They gave him to me to train. Hey, where's your uniform?"

 

"I'm not wearing it." Barnaby simply said as he crossed his arms.

 

Kotetsu blinked, a little surprised at Barnaby's boldness. "What? No! Go back and get it!"

 

Barnaby looked away from him. "No."

 

"But it's tradition! Tra-di-tion!" Kotetsu insisted.

 

Barnaby stubbornly stood his ground. "I don't care."

 

Kotetsu grounded his teeth as he growled. This wasn't a good start at all. He learned quickly over the past few days that Barnaby could be a stubborn fellow but he didn't think he'd be this stubborn. Kotetsu was about to rant on how tradition was important. However he stopped when he noticed Karina was laughing at them.

 

"It looks like you got your hands full, Kotetsu." she giggled. When she finally calmed down she tried to regain at least a little of her composure. "A fledgling, huh? Wow, I haven't seen one of those in a while." Karina walked a circle around Barnaby, taking in his features a little better. "Too bad they gave him to you though. I don't think he'll last week."

 

"Hey, _try_ to have _some_ faith in me!" Kotetsu whined. He then turned his attention to the confused fledgling. "Barnaby, this is another one of the grim reapers. Her name is Karina Lyle. If I remember right, she shouldn't be that much older than you." Kotetsu was struck with an elbow to his gut from the smaller girl.

 

"As if!" Karina growled at him. She then turned her attention to Barnaby. "It's nice to meet you, take good care of him, okay?" She looked back at Kotetsu, a stubborn pout appeared on her face. "Well, I guess since you're busy I'll have to talk to you another time. Stay safe."

 

Barnaby watched as Karina walked away. He had to admit that she was beautiful and she seemed the tenacious type. She was cute looks wise but that temper was a little frightening. It was strange though, something about her seemed like she genuinely cared for the klutzy older man. He looked at Kotetsu and wondered if there was some sort of special affection.

 

"A-ah, don't mind her! She's actually a sweet kid, if you don't make her mad." Kotetsu explained with a strained laugh as he recovered. He held the side that Karina had mercilessly struck. "Which I do all the time."

 

"You don't understand women at all, do you?" Barnaby asked with a raised brow.

 

Kotetsu suddenly frowned at him, he pouted and said, "And I bet you don't have any friends, do you?"

 

"Quit acting like a child, old man. Are we going to get started on this training or what?" Barnaby said as he folded his arms over his chest. His patience was starting to wear thin.

 

"Okay, okay, I get the idea." Kotetsu started to walk away from Barnaby. "Follow me, I'll show you to the gates. They're what we use to travel to the mortal world."

 

Barnaby sighed and started to follow after him, glad that they would finally get to work. He didn't want to spend too much time around that man if he could help it. Kotetsu led Barnaby through the lobby and towards a large stone hallway. The hallway itself was more like a tunnel, at the end there was an entrance to an enormous stone chamber. Barnaby could hear muffled voices coming from the room ahead. When they finally reached it he found himself greeted by an impressive sight.  
  
  
  
The chamber was lively and full of people that were coming and going. Many of which were people that looked human but were dressed in the same dark formal attire as Kotetsu. Others there were creatures of many shapes and forms. Some looked almost human, while others looked bizarre. They seemed to be immigrating from the mortal realm and were being led to a registration area.

 

"This place is where you're going to find the gates that we use to travel." Kotetsu explained as he started to point to each of the gates. "That one there is the gate to the mortal realm. The other two across from it are the gates to Heaven and Hell."

 

Barnaby looked on in silent awe as he studied the features of the gates. Each gate was large and had stone columns on their sides. They were decorated with carvings of things that represented the realms they belonged to. The mortal gate had carvings of humans, animals, and earthly mythical figures. The Heaven gate had carvings of beings that seemed more holy in nature, creatures like angels and depictions of light. The Hell gate's carvings were more monstrous, depicting demons,  skeletons, and people who were writhing in anguish.

 

"Come on, I have to make up for some lost time." Kotetsu said suddenly, catching Barnaby's attention.

 

As they walked towards to the mortal world gate, Barnaby stared at passing reapers as they walked by with floating little blue flames in tow. He knew what they were from his time at the Academy but it was still bizarre seeing them in person. The little blue flames were once people that had lives and memories. It was strange seeing something like that reduced to something about the size of a baseball. Barnaby stopped staring when he noticed he was getting odd looks from other reapers that noticed him. He hurried to catch up with Kotetsu.

 

The old grim reaper waited for Barnaby patiently in front of the gate to the mortal realm. Kotetsu signaled Barnaby to follow him into the glowing light between the pillars. As Barnaby followed his body felt oddly light, as though he was almost floating. He had to protect his eyes from the glow of the gate as he moved forward. He could've sworn that he could see many smaller gates ahead of them. Some seemed to be floating in midair and others even below them. He spotted Kotetsu beckoning him to stick closer to him as he made his way to one gate in particular.

 

"Come on Barnaby, I don't want you to end up going on a trip to France by accident." Kotetsu laughed heartily at his own joke.

 

Barnaby rolled his eyes and quickened his pace. It wasn't long before the two of them were standing before one of the smaller gates. Barnaby looked up and could see a familiar name scrawled on a plaque on the top.

 

"We're going to New York city?" Barnaby said with a blink.

 

"Yep, I hear it's your old stomping grounds." Kotetsu recalled from the file he was given on Barnaby from his superiors. "I've been doing business there for a little while now, so I figure it's probably a good idea to start off in a place we both know."

 

The two of them stepped through the gate and disappeared into the light. The gate's light became blinding, Barnaby had to close his eyes for a moment to protect them from the harshness. When he finally opened them again he found himself in a familiar location. He and Kotetsu were standing in the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal.

 

Daylight poured into the room from large windows above, much to Barnaby's silent pleasure. He had missed the sun and the warmth that brought. He looked around, appreciating the sights of something familiar. Classic carvings framed the windows and the ceiling was painted with the stars and constellations. It was so odd, it felt as though he had come home from a long, strange journey.

 

However there was also a lot that seemed different about Grand Central Terminal. Things that he didn't remember seeing before. There were more strange creatures like the ones that he had seen back in purgatory walking amongst the humans. Some of them were at ticket booths or seemed to be heading to another destination much like the human travelers. Barnaby looked back and saw the large gate that led to purgatory. It stood proudly, fitting in with the decor of Grand Central Terminal. It was also completely unseen by the living as they passed it by without notice.

 

"It's amazing what humans can't see, isn't it?" Kotetsu said, amused by the look on Barnaby's face.

 

Barnaby looked around the station; he found that he could see other grim reapers walking among the living. Some had souls with them, others didn't, but they all had a certain energy that he could feel from them that was different from humans.

 

"How long has this been here?" Barnaby finally asked.

 

"Times change, so purgatory has to change with it. I don't know all the details but the gate used to be somewhere else before humans built Grand Central Terminal." Kotetsu explained. "That's all I know, I've been doing business in New York for only a few decades."

 

"Decades?" Barnaby didn't mean to sound as surprised as he did but it was hard to hide his amazement. He was tempted to ask how old Kotetsu was but decided to refrain at the last minute. It did lead him to wonder on just how long the service of a grim reaper was supposed to last.

 

Kotetsu gave a confused blink. "Is there something wrong, Barnaby?"

 

"No, let's just get to business for tonight."

 

"Fair enough." Kotetsu said with a shrug. He motioned for Barnaby to follow him and they started to make their way out of Grand Central Terminal. "So this is your first time back into the mortal world since you died, huh?"

 

"No, the Academy had us make a few trips as they taught us about the job." Barnaby said as he looked up and studied his surroundings. It was odd, everything seemed so familiar and foreign at the same time. Was it because of his problems with his memories? "We never traveled through this gate though."

 

"I think I heard that was because the Academy is in the mortal world." Kotetsu scratched his head as he tried to recall what he was told. "I guess they figure that it's easier to snatch you guys before you even make it to purgatory."

 

"How did they do it before then?" Barnaby asked, he remembered that strange conversation the day when he first met Kotetsu and Agnes.

 

The question seemed to catch Kotetsu off guard as he cleared his throat and looked away from Barnaby. He seemed to be unwilling to answer but eventually he spoke up again. "They used to find us. Some souls have better potential of being grim reapers and others."

 

"But how did they choose what souls had potential and which didn't?" Barnaby pressed him for an answer.

 

"Long story short, souls have their own power. Sometimes it's from the age of the soul, sometimes it can be from the lives that they led." Kotetsu explained as best as he could. He started to walk down the sidewalk with Barnaby as he continued to talk. "Originally 'The Powers That Be' would send out scouting agents for potential grim reapers. They needed strong souls that had sins that needed redeeming."

 

"A sin?" Barnaby seemed a little confused.

 

"Yeah, you know, something that's keeping you from crossing over." Kotetsu was a little surprised; this was something that was common knowledge. "Every grim reaper has committed a sin that they want redeemed. Didn't they tell you that?"

 

"I don't think so, all I know is I was recruited and if I wanted to move on I had to serve." Barnaby explained as he thought back on how he was brought to the Academy. He could remember standing at his own funeral, watching his own casket as it was slowly lowered into the earth. A wave of unease washed over him, urging him to focus on something else. "I don't remember committing a sin, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be redeemed for."

 

"That's..." Kotetsu wasn't sure what he could say, it sounded completely odd. He didn't want to alarm Barnaby of how strange his situation actually was, so he tried to sound confident. He reached out and clapped Barnaby on the back. "I'm sure you'll remember what your sin is, eventually. Maybe you died violently and your memories got messed up. I'm sure it'll fix itself."

 

"Was that how it happened with you, old man?" Barnaby asked.

 

"N-no, I was already dead for a while and serving a different kind of sentence." Kotetsu replied cautiously. He could feel goosebumps rise from his skin as he thought about that time of his afterlife. He tried to force the memory to the back of his mind, not wanting to think of it anymore than he had to.

 

"What was your sin?" Barnaby didn't expect to get a glare from Kotetsu as an answer. His stomach twisted from sudden embarrassment as he could tell he just asked the wrong question.

 

"Look, you probably didn't know so I'll forgive you this time." Kotetsu's glare softened into an annoyed frown. "Don't go asking a grim reaper what their sin was. It's the quickest way to get someone pissed with you."

 

"Can you at least tell me why?" Barnaby was getting a little annoyed with Kotetsu's secrecy. It made him feel as though the older man didn't trust him.  If they were going to be working together from now on that was going be a big problem.

 

Kotetsu stopped walking and rubbed the back of his neck. He wouldn't look Barnaby in the eye and carefully picked his words. "The idea is to not think about it. It's a simple as that."

 

Barnaby wasn't satisfied with the answer and continued to press Kotetsu for a little more detail. "You're going to have to give me a little more than that, old man. You're supposed to be teaching me, aren't you?"

 

A small growl escaped Kotetsu but he knew Barnaby was right. "It's not good to think about your sin too much. Let's just say sometimes it can bring out the worst in you. So we try to forget when we can. We give ourselves distractions and try to go on with our after-lives until we've finally served our penance. Some of us have second jobs, hobbies, or take advantage of having a 'sort-of-second life'."

 

Barnaby took a moment to let what he had just heard sink in. It was surprising just how much he still didn't know.

 

"Alright, I've had enough talk about this stuff." Kotetsu suddenly exclaimed, he stretched his arms and gave a yawn. "I don't know about you but I could go for some coffee." He walked ahead of Barnaby without another word.

 

Barnaby followed after him wondering just what he meant. It wasn't like humans could see them, so how are they supposed to get coffee? What he got for an answer was Kotetsu walking into a small coffeehouse. Barnaby followed him in and watched as the man maneuvered his way past people and table alike. He seemed to be looking around for something and paused when he finally spotted it. He made his way to the other side of the shop where waiting was another service counter. Barnaby blinked, he didn't see that service counter when he walked in. It just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Barnaby walked over and saw that serving at the little unseen service area was what at first glance looked like a human. Until he noticed the little horns on their head.

 

Kotetsu looked back at him and spoke up. "Hey, do you want some coffee too?"

 

Barnaby felt his stomach growl and realized he was a little hungry. He gave a quiet nod and watched as the strange person went to work fixing their drinks. As soon as they were done Kotetsu picked out a couple of large cookies and gave the creature payment with what looked like a few gold coins.

 

It wasn't long before they were seated at one of the empty tables of the little coffeehouse. Barnaby continued to watch the otherworldly service counter as he ate. As time passed he saw other grim reapers walking into the shop and bought drink and food from that counter.

 

"Just because humans don't believe in something doesn't mean it's not there." Kotetsu suddenly said, catching Barnaby's attention. "That person over there is a creature of lore. Not all of them have been pushed out of the mortal world yet. They still find different ways of making a living."

 

"So all of this goes on and humans can't see it?" Barnaby thought aloud. He was beginning to wonder just how much went on around him that he couldn't see when he was alive.

 

"Yep, that's why we grim reapers can go about our business without worrying we'll scare people." Kotetsu said as he dunked his cookie in his coffee and then took a bite. "At one time the creatures of lore and humans used to live together. How do you think all those old fairytales and legends started?"

 

Barnaby looked little disturbed by the idea, monsters and humans living together in the same world. Even with the way it was now, with them being unseen it was still an unsettling thought. "So why can't humans see them?"

 

"Humans have traded that stuff for things like logic and science." Kotetsu began to explain, he paused a moment to take a sip from his coffee. "That's where their belief is now. The world becomes a little smaller and the creatures that they once called neighbors are being pushed out. It sounds a little lousy if you think about it."

 

Barnaby quietly finished his drink and cookie, feeling better now that he had eaten something. He waited for Kotetsu to finish and began idly playing with the bracelet on his wrist. It was different from the one that Kotetsu had. It covered a little less than Barnaby's forearm and was more high tech with a little screen and a mini keyboard built into it.

 

"So what's that thing?" Kotetsu asked as the new gizmo had caught his attention.

 

"This is what the Academy gave me before I left. They said it's supposed to help me do my job. It helps in detecting where I'm supposed to go and if I'm being called on."

 

"So they have you use that thing to detect death?" Kotetsu said as he studied it from a distance. When he finally finished his food, he crinkled up the cookie's wrapper and stuffed in the coffee cup. "Maybe you can show me how that thing works later but for today we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way."

 

"What? You just swing your scythe and hit a person with it?" Barnaby asked, his tone made it hard for old grim reaper to tell if that was a joke or an insult.

 

"Ha, ha, very funny." Kotetsu rolled his eyes and got up from his chair to throw out his coffee cup. It was then a thought hit him. He never told Barnaby what his weapon was, so how did he know? Kotetsu decided to keep quiet about Barnaby's little slip up for the time being. He then turned around and faced the fledgling, who was still seated at the table.

 

"Okay, breaks over Barnaby. Let's go to work!" Kotetsu announced, he seemed to be trying to prep himself more than his partner.

 

Barnaby stood up from his seat and followed Kotetsu as they made their way out of the cafe.  "Why the sudden change in mood? Just before you seem pretty excited to get back to work."

 

"Not quite. I like coming to the human world, I never said anything about liking my job." Kotetsu clarified as they walked down the sidewalk.

 

Barnaby frowned as he followed his partner down the sidewalk. The man was a mystery, in one of the most annoying ways possible. He was clearly clumsy and nonsensical, he also had a habit of holding back important information. He couldn't quite understand just how he was supposed to learn anything from him.

 

"So Barnaby, how does a bracelet thingy of yours supposed to predict death?" Kotetsu asked. He looked over his shoulder at him curiously.

 

Barnaby looked at his armband. "It scans people within a limited radius and predicts their probability of death. If they are risky by nature or if they are doing risky activities then and there. It tells me where I should position myself so I can do my job."

 

"Probability? Scanning?" Kotetsu let the words roll off his tongue as he thought about how that would work. "I don't exactly understand all that technological mumbo-jumbo. How are you supposed to know who to spare and who to take?"

 

"What do you mean?" Barnaby asked with a blink. "We're supposed to take whoever has the highest probability when they're close to death."

 

"I guess that makes sense but what about miracles?" Kotetsu asked. He stopped walking and looked at Barnaby. "Well, for now put that thing way. I'll show you how I do it for today."

 

Barnaby looked a little confused. "How can you predict death?"

 

"I can't." Kotetsu said as a sheepish smile tugged at his lips. "All I can do is trust my instincts. But you have to understand, life is unpredictable. Even if a person lives their life in the safest way possible, sometimes they can still end up dying in the most ironic way."

 

Barnaby had to admit that was a good point. For a moment Kotetsu actually sounded like a teacher. He wasn't about to tell him that though, the guy had an ego and it didn't need inflating.

 

A loud screech was suddenly heard as tires skidded across the pavement of the road. It was abruptly ended with a sudden and loud crash. Both Kotetsu and Barnaby whipped around to see what happened. In the street there was a violent car crash, many passersby froze like deer to stare at the metal carnage. Cars swerved to avoid the sudden obstacle in their path. Almost hitting nearby pedestrians and other cars, just missing by mere inches.

 

"See? What did I tell you?" Kotetsu then walked toward the crash site. He summoned his scythe to his hand, so it was ready if it needed to do its messy work.

 

He made his way over to the wreckage, pausing only to let a car pass and hurrying to dodge another. He stopped just before the accident and looked over the damage. His amber eyes gave a subtle glow as he let his instincts take over. In that instant Kotetsu became more predatory, like a cat watching its prey. He continued to move closer and peered into the cars and studied their passengers.

 

Barnaby was a little surprised by the sudden change in the man's demeanor. Local authorities were starting to get the traffic under control.  So he took the opportunity to make his way towards the wreckage himself. He paused only when he saw Kotetsu suddenly swing his scythe.

 

Kotetsu struck the driver of one of the cars in the chest. He then pulled on the handle of his weapon and ripped a blue flame out of the driver's body. The little blue flame floated about in a confused manner. It then seemed magnetically attracted to Kotetsu and followed him as he made his way to the other car. Kotetsu peered in at the victims, finding that it was a family. His eyes lost their glow as he seemed to return to normal. He stepped back, there was a look of concern on his face.

 

"Is there something wrong old man?" Barnaby asked as he walked closer to him.

 

"Ah, it's nothing. I'm just trying to make a judgment." Kotetsu said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "This is one of the harder parts of the job."

 

Barnaby peered into the car himself and found that the passengers were two parents in a single child. His body tensed a little as he felt a wave of unease wash over him. He looked at the parents faces and felt his heart jump when he saw the twisted faces of his own parents. Startled, he quickly took a step back away from the car. Upon looking again the faces of his own parents were gone.

 

"Are you okay there, kid?" Kotetsu blinked and looked confused at the sudden strange reaction of his partner. On instinct he reached out to help study him but it only resulted in his hand being batted away.

 

"I-I'm fine." Barnaby shakily said as he tried to calm down and regain his composure.

 

"If you say so..." Kotetsu said with a little uncertainty. He turned his attention back to the family and the wreckage. His eyes regain their subtle glow as he assessed each person's chances of living. "The parents are done for but the kid's chances are much better. I'll let them go."

 

Barnaby felt a chill run through him, he frowned at Kotetsu. He held up his arm and activated his bracelet. He then scanned the people in the car wreckage. Surprisingly Kotetsu was right, there was nothing that could be done for the parents. Yet the child's chances were also very slim.

 

Kotetsu approached the car again and raised his scythe, bringing it down he tore the souls from both of the parents' bodies. The little blue flames instantly floated towards their child, as if checking on them. Kotetsu was about to call them over but stopped himself. His eyes lost their glow again as he returned to a more human state. It was his policy that if he could, he would give souls a moment to be with a loved one that was being left behind. Kotetsu looked away from them for a moment, not wanting to be reminded of things that he had lost.

 

A gunshot then rang out and cause the old grim reaper to jump with start. He whipped around to check on the souls and saw a third tiny flame with them. Kotetsu them looked next to him and saw Barnaby with his arm extended holding out a handgun. The fledgling wordlessly beckoned the souls to come to him.

 

"WHY?!" Kotetsu snarled. "What gave you the right!?"

 

"You should be asking yourself that question, old man." Barnaby said without looking at him.

 

Kotetsu stared at Barnaby in disbelief. "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean!? I was doing my job! You had no right to interfere! You are a fledgling!"

 

"And I'm starting to see why they want more people like me doing this job. You don't think of the consequences at all, do you?" Barnaby turned and glared at Kotetsu, his resolve unwavering. "What life will be like for that child when they are left alone, do you ever think about it?"

 

Kotetsu stood silently, the fact was he didn't have an answer for that. His eyes were locked with Barnaby's, the fledgling's glare was enough to make his stomach twist with guilt. He never thought about it that way, from his perspective he was only seeing it as a parent would. Kotetsu's eyes trailed from Barnaby's glare to the weapon he held in his hand. It was a gun, this kid specialty was firearms. Kotetsu thought back on the demon that he fought that nearly killed him. It was shot right in the forehead. A chill ran through Kotetsu as he had a feeling that there was more to him and Barnaby being partnered up than he was being told.

 

"I didn't think so. Your mercy is flawed." Barnaby said as he looked away from Kotetsu. "Your sentimental and traditional ways cause nothing but suffering. Remember that."

 

That struck a nerve, Kotetsu glared right back at Barnaby. This kid thought he had all the answers, didn't he? "It's all a matter of choice. You made your choices and I made mine, that's where the suffering comes from. A life is still life and it's up to you if you made it good or bad, I'm only giving you the chance to choose. Either way you all end up with me in the end."

 

-End of Chapter 4-


	5. Instincts of The Reaper

A thick plume of smoke flowed out into the night sky, carrying with it the scent of fire and diesel fuel. It was a terrible accident that happened without warning. The train was unable to slow down when it was supposed to and had derailed from its tracks just as it was reaching the station. Rescue workers and volunteers littered the area. They tried their best to search the wreckage and find as many survivors as they could.

 

Amongst the people of the rescue effort was a large man with a fierce appearance. Everything about him screamed classic biker, from his imposing build to his black leather jacket and pants. He watched the people as they scrambled in their rescue effort. His green eyes took on an eerie blue glow as he started to look for things that they couldn't see. Through the wreckage he could see the faint glow of souls of the dead. The man sighed and ran his fingers through his slicked back red brown hair as he estimated how many people were already lost.

 

"Jesus Christ, what a mess." The man said with disdain. There was a lot of death there, it was sad knowing that most of the rescuers efforts were going to be in vain. "Shit, this is going to be a whole lot of work."

 

It was the kind of accident that was bound to attract trouble. So much death and confused souls was bound to attract some unsavory creatures looking for a quick meal. The man held his hand out and summoned his weapon, a large spiked club. He went ahead and started to collect souls, being careful to pay attention for any strange presences.

 

"Yo!" A voice called out of nowhere. "Looks like you got your hands full there, Antonio..."

 

Antonio spun around and searched for the source of the voice. He looked up and atop one of the toppled cars stood Kotetsu and Barnaby. Antonio calmed down as soon as he realized it was his old friend but when his eyes landed on the younger reaper he looked at him curiously.

 

"Trying to make a cool entrance, Kotetsu?" Antonio asked, making sure to sound unimpressed. "It's a little lame if you ask me."

 

"Shut up!" Kotetsu pouted,  he leapt off the top of the train car, a light blush tinged his cheeks from the fellow reaper's comment. "We're here to help you out, you ungrateful cow!"

 

Barnaby sighed and rolled his eyes at Kotetsu's childishness. He turned away from the reapers and started to walk off. "We're wasting time, old man. I'm going to go on ahead and actually do some work."

 

Antonio looked at the blond and watched him leave. He didn't care for his stuffy attitude but at least he would be working elsewhere. "Who's the kid?"

 

"Na? You didn't hear? They got me training a fledgling." Kotetsu explained with a short sigh. He walked over to join the larger man.

 

Antonio blinked with surprise. "Wow, I thought they dropped that practice when they made that academy."

 

"It's a long story, I'll tell you about it when we're not on the job." Kotetsu said with a small smile as he gave his old friend a clap on the back.

 

All the light heartedness soon faded as Kotetsu looked over their surroundings and took in the sight of the wreckage. His eyes took on a blue glow as he searched for souls, hoping that the death toll wasn't going to be as bad as it looked. Kotetsu frowned when he saw many little blue flames floating about amongst the metal carnage.

 

"Damn..." he cursed under his breath. "That's a lot of people."

 

"Yep, but complaining about it isn't gonna get it done." Antonio pointed out. He walked on ahead and started coaxing the little soul flames to follow him.

 

Kotetsu walked with Antonio, moving aside some of the wreckage and freeing trapped souls. It wasn't long before something caught his attention that stopped him in his tracks. He blinked when he saw it, squinted his eyes, and walked over to a particular piece of twisted metal.

 

"Hey Tonio, take a look at this." Kotetsu called out to his friend as he examined the piece of train. With his eyes still glowing blue he could see a sort of residue on the metal in the vague shape of a large hand.

 

Antonio hurried over and could see it as well, he frowned when he realized just what it implicated. "So, this was the work of a demon?"

 

"I know demons have been getting more hostile but it's really rare that they would do something like _this_." Kotetsu said as he looked at Antonio. "Something is definitely wrong with this picture."

 

"You're one of the people that they have on the investigation, aren't you?" Antonio asked, he looked a little worried as he said it. He had no doubt that Kotetsu could protect himself but he would've preferred if they stuck the job with one of the younger reapers. After all, he and Kotetsu were both considered antiques for a good reason.

 

"Yeah, funny how these things work out, isn't it?" Kotetsu said as he examined the hand print. He held up his own hand and compared the size. It was the least five times bigger than his own, it reminded him of the demon he fought off when he was visiting Tony. Kotetsu reached into one of his pockets and took out a cell phone. He held it up and quietly took a picture of the evidence, he would have to show it to the Grim Reaper HQ when he returned.

 

"Anything you can tell me about it? Or is it all classified?" Antonio asked.

 

"I came across a strange case about a few weeks ago. Kid in a Children's Hospital named Tony, he was still alive but his soul was slowly escaping his body. Kind of like it was leaking out or something." Kotetsu explained. He and Antonio started to walk again, they both continued to beckon and lead souls out from the wreckage.

 

"Leaking?" Antonio looked at Kotetsu with uncertainty. "I've never seen anything like that. And you think it has something to do with the recent demon activity?"

 

Kotetsu gave a nod, the look of seriousness never left his face. "Yeah, and if that wasn't weird enough he could also see me. The kid even talked to me."

 

"That's pretty crazy, that kind of stuff is really old school." Antonio's voice then took on a hint of suspicion as he continued. Knowing very well how Kotetsu could be. "You _did_ reap his soul though, didn't you?"

 

Kotetsu pretended to be distracted with soul collecting and acted as though he couldn't hear him. He could still feel Antonio's eyes glaring at him. The longer he didn't answer, the more Antonio figured his assumption was right.

 

"Kotetsu..." He said with a warning tone.  "You didn't leave that kid alive, did you? You're going to get in a lot of trouble!"

 

"It's for the investigation!"

 

Antonio prodded Kotetsu in the chest with a finger none too gently. "That's a load of bullshit and you know it!"

 

"It's none of your business how I do my investigating!" Kotetsu defended himself. He found his resolve weaver a little under his old friend's judging glare. It suddenly felt like his defense for his actions was really just an excuse. "Look, I just don't want to take the kid's life if he can be saved."

 

"And what if he can't be? What are you going to do then?" Antonio pressed Kotetsu for an answer as he crossed his arms over his chest. He knew he probably sounded a bit harsh but sometimes it was the only way he could get through to the man. 

 

"I'll...I'll do my job." Kotetsu grumbled with defeat. He gave a short sigh and looked away from the larger man.

 

"You better." Antonio said sternly. His glare soon softened and his eyes were cast away from Kotetsu. "After all, if you keep doing that shit how the hell are we supposed to go through with that stupid 'plan' you keep talking about?"

 

Kotetsu looked surprised for a moment, he felt a smile lightly tug at the corners of his lips. Antonio remembered and that made him feel a little glad. He wouldn't look at him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from smiling. The 'plan' was stupid and they both knew it but it was something that gave them a small feeling of hope. "Hey, don't act like you never talked about it too..."

 

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But you get what I'm saying, don't ya? You'll just end up racking up more time on your sentence by doing stupid shit like that." Antonio pointed out, his tone was less angry and more concerned. He almost looked a little sad as he continued, "Don't forget, you have people waiting for you and I'm not going be around forever either."

 

"It's going to be fine, Tonio!" Kotetsu said confidently as he gave a smile. He wanted to lighten the mood a little. After all, he had wonderful news! "That fledgling you saw before, he's my ticket out here! I just have to do a good job training him and then I'm free!"

 

Antonio didn't look all that reassured, he knew full well that there had to be some kind of catch to that. But he still couldn't blame Kotetsu's enthusiasm, it was an opportunity for repentance and any reaper worth their salt would leap at that chance. He knew he certainly would have.

 

"Just promise me that you'll be careful, you know how the 'Powers That Be' are. More than likely there's some sort of catch to all this that works to entertain them." Antonio said with a bit of skepticism. He rested a hand on Kotetsu's shoulder but wouldn't look him in the eye, still feeling a little suspicious of the sudden opportunity. Older reapers knew better than to fully trust the Powers That Be, though perhaps it was more out of bitterness.

 

Kotetsu thought back on the incident where Barnaby reaped a soul without his permission. He was angry of course but there was also another odd feeling during that incident. It had something to do with what Barnaby said, though he couldn't quite remember it now. Kotetsu shook his head and tried to push the memory to the back of his mind for the time being. Instead he decided to change the subject.

 

"Oi, oi, let's not think too much about it for now, there's plenty of time for that later." Kotetsu said, waving a hand as if he were shooing the subject away. An impish grin then flashed across his face as he wrapped an arm around Antonio's shoulder. "How about after we're done with this business you and me can go 'forget' together back at my place?"

 

"Hmph! Just as crude and tastless as ever." Antonio said with a tired sigh. He tried not to smirk but seeing Kotetsu's sly smile made him laugh. "Fine, at least it's something to do. Where's that fledgling of yours anyway?"

 

Kotetsu blinked with surprise as he had suddenly remembered.  "Oh, uh... He said that he was going to work on his own, right?"

 

"And you're supposed to be keeping an eye on him!" Antonio reminded him. He gave the fellow reaper light smack upside the head. "God damn it, Kotetsu! Get your shit together!"

 

Further down the tracks, Barnaby was walking with a decent sized collection of souls following him. He was doing just fine on his own. Barnaby couldn't understand why he needed a mentor at all. Collecting souls didn't seem all that difficult a task. A little unnerving at times perhaps, but one could manage once they got used to it. The way Barnaby looked at, it was just a job that had to be done. It even helped some people move on to a better place.

 

The rescue effort still scrambled to uncover bodies and save whatever survivors they could find. Barnaby passed them by, watching as they found people both alive and dead. He only had to use his gun on the rare occasion. Barnaby wondered why some souls left their bodies and some stayed. Perhaps that was something he could ask Kotetsu about.

 

As Barnaby's eyes scanned his surroundings he looked at the various people that littered the area. A strange feeling came over him as he did so. A chill ran up his spine and he could feel goosebumps rising from his skin. There was something 'not right' amongst them, though at first he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Barnaby couldn't shake the feeling that there was something dangerous in the area. He tried to ignore it at first but something in him refused to let it go.

 

Though Barnaby didn't show it outwardly, there was a small feeling of fear that gradually grew. Instinct was telling him that he had to protect the souls he collected at all costs. He finally decided that he couldn't ignore it and looked around for the source of the threat. He couldn't find it but he could feel it getting closer. Fear was starting to turn into panic and his reaper instincts grabbed for more control. Barnaby was worried he was starting to lose his mind.

 

That's when he noticed it. A figure in the distance that was standing amongst the living. It was no wonder why he couldn't see them before. They looked like a human, a woman with dark hair that was cut just above her shoulders. Her outfit was strange, it had a circus feel to it with a mix of white, red, and black. The longer Barnaby stared at the woman, the more he felt uneasy. There was something wrong about her and what made things even more unsettling was that it seemed like she was looking right at him. It felt like he was being watched by a predator, like some mouse that was being played with by a cat.

 

 

On her left forearm was a tattoo that caught his attention. It a serpent in the shape of a circle, devouring its own tail and speared through with a sword. Barnaby continued to stare at the tattoo on the woman's arm. His jaw fell slack as it seemed he was stuck in a trance. He _knew_ that symbol, the site of it caused his head to throb with pain and confusion. His breath caught in his throat when a white flash blinded his vision. His memories were trying to surface with each flash of white. Brief glimpses of memories of a fire, and drawing that symbol as a kid, asking people about it and never getting answers.

 

Through it all Barnaby didn't take his eyes off the woman. His breathing picked up pace as he realized he started to feel strange. Dread seeped into his veins as the memories were pushed back and a new, more animalistic sensation took hold over him. Barnaby suddenly remembered his charges when a little blue flame fluttered close to him. The souls were in danger. _His_ souls were in danger.

 

Barnaby blinked at the sudden strange thought, it was like there was a second voice in his mind. It was demanding and feral. He had to protect the souls. That woman was dangerous! His logical mind then tried to regain control. Who was that woman? He had to question her, he needed to know about that symbol. Why was it important? It was tied to someone's death...? That woman might know something... Again the second voice tried to dominate all logic. It didn't matter who she was, he was a Grim Reaper now! He could just...kill her!

 

That thought sent a chill up Barnaby's spine. He didn't want to kill her, yet a part of him did. Part of himself that he was having a hard time controlling. He would capture the woman, Barnaby told himself, but the second voice would not keep quiet.

 

Capture...Kill...Capture... _Kill_...Capture... ** _Kill_**...

 

Barnaby clutched his own head. It throbbed with pain and confusion as the two sides of himself-Human and reaper-warred with each other. It felt like his head was about to split in two, was he going mad?

 

Right then there was a mocking giggle that sounded close by. Barnaby's head snapped up in alarm, the woman was now right in front of him. When their eyes met Barnaby felt rage swell up inside him without warning. He couldn't take it anymore and summoned his handgun. Kill or capture, he knew he had to attack he had to get her away from the souls. _His_ souls.

 

Barnaby aimed straight for the woman and fired a shot. To his surprise she disappeared, more of her laughter seemed to echo within his ears. It only served to flare up his instinctual need to fight. He turned and looked for her. He would catch brief glimpses of the woman and she'd disappear as soon as he saw her. An inhuman growl rumbled from Barnaby's chest as his frustration grew. His logical self-his human self-felt like it was being swallowed alive by something monstrous. He started to shoot whenever he saw her in hopes of being quick enough to hit strange woman.

 

The woman's mocking laughter continued to ring in Barnaby's ears. He whipped around wildly and seemed as though he was just firing at random. Barnaby then caught site of the girl once again next to part of the derailed train, not too far from some of the people of the rescue effort. Once again the woman disappeared and Barnaby's gunfire hit the train. To his surprise, right then that part of the derailed train started to smoke. A chill ran through him as he felt something terrible was about to happen.

 

People of the rescue team cried out to warn others as they hurried to distance themselves from the train. The plumes of smoke grew thicker and soon after the train blew up in a gigantic ball of fire. The shockwave from the blast was strong enough to knock Barnaby right off his feet. He landed on the ground and was disoriented for a few short moments. His vision blurred in and out of focus, he could see the blurred colors and shape of the woman standing above him. When his eyes corrected themselves he could clearly see her smiling down at him and holding in her hand one of his souls.

 

"Aww, looks like the baby reaper got a boo-boo!" She chimed mockingly. She giggled as she tightened her grip on the little blue soul flame. It struggled and flickered trying to escape its captor's grip. "The souls of children are especially sweet!"

 

Without warning Barnaby raised his gun and shot at her. This time he managed to catch her by surprise but she was still too quick and Barnaby's bullet only managed knick her ear. The woman's hand covered her injured ear, letting go of the soul. Before Barnaby could fire again she leaped back and disappeared into the shadows. Barnaby scrambled to get up, he was not going to let her escape.

 

The sound of the explosion caught Antonio and Kotetsu's attention and the two were running down the tracks. They could see the massive fire in the distance and the people of the rescue effort quickly retreating. They both hurried their pace as they felt a strange presence nearby.

 

"Shit, the demon is still here?!" Antonio growled as they ran down the tracks.

 

"Damn it! Barnaby went that way!" Kotetsu a chill when he came to the sudden realization that he could be in serious danger. With how Barnaby would carry himself it was easy to forget that he was a fledgling and still had a lot to learn. Kotetsu felt a little a sick at the thought that Barnaby could die because of the old reaper's carelessness. He looked at Antonio and signaled him to wait. "Let me handle this, you watch over the souls!"

 

Antonio frowned, not too happy with such an order but he knew it was a smart idea. The last thing that they needed was to have the souls in danger. Antonio watched as Kotetsu hurried on ahead, a look of worry painted across his face.

 

"Don't get yourself killed, Kotetsu..."

 

Kotetsu hurried towards the burning wreckage, he felt something fly past his face. He stopped in his tracks for short moment lifting a hand to his cheek and feeling light sting. Looking at his hand he saw a tiny amount of blood stained his fingers. His attention was then caught by the sound of something ricocheting off of metal. It didn't take long for Kotetsu to realize it was probably a bullet.

 

As he got closer, Kotetsu could hear more gunshots and bullets ricocheting off nearby train wreckage. He ducked down and hid from possible gunfire, Barnaby had to be close by. Kotetsu peered out from his hiding spot scanned the area for the fledgling. It didn't take long to spot him, Kotetsu blinked and looked confused at what he saw. Barnaby was wildly shooting at nothing. He was shouting and snarling, trying to fight some unseen opponent.

 

Barnaby stopped suddenly and seemed to hesitate before he whipped around to face Kotetsu's direction. He appeared disshevelled, panicked and looked nothing like the cool kid Kotetsu was used to dealing with.

 

"Who's there?!" he roared, his voice higher than usual, almost crazed with accusation. He lifted his gun towards the presence he felt and Kotetsu knew he had to act fast.

"Barnaby! Barnaby, stop! Take it easy! It's just me! Kotetsu! You know, the 'old man'?" Kotetsu called out to him. What greeted him was a wild glare from the grim fledgling. Kotetsu recognized that look, he had seen it before in other reapers that lost control of themselves. He readied his scythe and stepped out from his hiding place. "Barnaby, you have to calm down! You're going to kill innocent people if you keep this up!"

 

Barnaby raised his gun and aimed right at Kotetsu in response. The older reaper ducked as Barnaby fired at him. The next shot he was able to block with his scythe. There would be no getting through to Barnaby with mere words. Kotetsu was seen as another threat to the fledgling's charges.

 

Barnaby fired a third shot and this time Kotetsu felt it hit him right in the chest. The old reaper clutched his hand over the bullet wound and stumbled back clumsily. Barnaby took a few steps closer ready to finish him off. He only paused when Kotetsu dropped his scythe and raised his hands defensively.

 

"Don't do it!" Kotetsu pleaded with Barnaby, blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to breathe normally as he could, the pain in his chest made it hard to focus on the fledgling before him and the act of standing. He saw no pity in the blond's eyes. "Please, I have a daughter!"

 

Barnaby blinked, he was taken off guard by what he heard and hesitated. Kotetsu took that moment to grab Barnaby's arm and knock the gun out of his hand. Before he could recover the old grim reaper forced him down on the ground. Barnaby was about to shove him off but Kotetsu grabbed his scythe and in a flash of blue light it changed shape. No longer was it the traditional grim reaper scythe, the weapon had morphed into a war scythe, a tool more suitable for battle. Kotetsu's eyes glowed, he grabbed Barnaby by the throat and held him down. He pressed his war scythe against the fledgling's chest, letting him know he was ready to end him right there if he continued to fight.

 

The war that waged in Barnaby's mind between his reaper instincts and his humanity finally calmed down. He could see a dim glow in Kotetsu's eyes, it made them look like a pair of embers. The older man looked wild and ready to go for the kill. The hand that held his war scythe shook slightly, as if he was struggling with something internally. Finally the glow in Kotetsu's eyes dimmed and faded away and he cautiously let go of Barnaby's throat.

 

"Are you back to normal, Barnaby?" he asked, his voice was slightly shaky but he tried to hide it.

 

Barnaby nodded without saying a word. He didn't want to admit it but for those few moments he was actually afraid of Kotetsu. To his surprise the older man gave a weary smile and offered him a hand to help him get up. He hesitated but eventually took Kotetsu's hand and got up. He could see the  Kotetsu wince in pain as he helped him. Barnaby blinked when he remembered that he had shot Kotetsu. His head was still a little foggy but as it cleared he started to remember everything he had done.

 

"O-Old man...Are you alright? I...I'm sorry, I didn't...I-I couldn't stop..." Barnaby stumbled over his words.

 

"It's okay kid, you didn't hit my soul, I'll live." Kotetsu tried to sound reassuring but his breaths came in loud wheezes and he could still taste the coppery blood in his mouth. His hand covered his wound, partly because he could feel it hurting as he calmed down and part so Barnaby didn't have to look at it. "It's nothing that can't be patched up. Come on, Antonio's waiting for us. Last thing we need is to worry that old cow too much."

 

Barnaby walked with Kotetsu, his collection of souls hovered close to them. The presence of that strange girl seemed to have disappeared now or perhaps it was because he was more focused on Kotetsu. Barnaby looked at the burning wreckage as they passed it by.

 

"I...I did that?" Barnaby asked, it was more a thought than a real question.

 

"We have to be careful with our powers, if we abuse them there can be serious trouble for the world of the living." Kotetsu explained. He coughed and tried to clear his throat. He tried to change the subject for the time being, he didn't want Barnaby to beat himself up over a mistake. Kotetsu would have to teach him, after all, he was the kid's mentor. He better start acting like it. "You got a really good collection going here. You did pretty good."

 

Barnaby was quiet, Kotetsu could see his praise failed in raising his spirits. They continued their walk down the tracks in silence. Kotetsu could feel they weren't alone, that strange presence from before had returned. He looked to the side and saw a strange woman sitting atop one of the toppled train cars. Kotetsu blinked and with that the girl was gone. He didn't say anything, not to alarm Barnaby. He couldn't feel the girl's presence anymore anyway. Still, he and Barnaby would stay with Antonio and help him finish the job, just in case.

 

-End of Chapter-


	6. Flames of the Past

It was amazing how little things could make easing into a new situation a bit easier. At least that was what Barnaby decided as he watched the programming on the TV in his apartment. The television programming in Sternbild was like that of the world of mortals. There were movies, commercials, and other forms of entertainment. All the programming had a Sternbild twist to it. Instead of any celebrities he could recognize there were otherworldly creatures. It took a little getting used to when he first started watching television. As he did, Barnaby was a little surprised at how such a little things like being able to watch TV could help one feel a little more normal.

 

Barnaby's attention was pulled away from the TV an into the window of his apartment when he heard the sudden rumble of thunder. Gazing out from his window he could see a small group of rain spirits passing by. They seemed to be from different parts of the world, each adorned in garments from different times and cultures. They rode on thick gray clouds and brought rain to the streets below. It was moments like those that shook Barnaby from those feelings of normalcy and reminded him of just where he was. He wondered how long it would be before even moments like those would become normal to him. Would he be more aloof about things like Kotetsu was?

 

Barnaby sighed as he thought back on the reason why he was stuck in his apartment in the first place. A couple of days had passed since the incident at the train wreck. He was amazed at the healing abilities of the grim reapers. Kotetsu's wounds managed to heal in a single night and he was back in fighting form. However, he was still ordered to take a day off. Just to be sure that he was fully healed, Kotetsu wasn't fond of the idea but had no choice but to comply.

 

Barnaby was left alone and restless. He pressed the channel button on his remote more forcefully than he needed to and frowned when he heard the plastic creak in protest of such treatment. He needed something to focus his mind on. His nerves were frazzled since the night of the train wreck. Barnaby gave a heavy sigh and ran his pale hand through his hair, his frustration was getting the better of him. But he didn't like that he didn't have anything to do. From the Reaper Academy to his graduation to a 'fledgling', his time was always occupied with activities and learning. All that began to slow when he was stuck with Kotetsu and now left with the simple instruction to 'relax' he felt unfocused. He hated the feeling of his thoughts being scattered and remote was his unfortunate victim. 

 

Barnaby stopped flipping the channels when he spotted a familiar face on the screen. A young, attractive girl with a familiar heart shaped face. He was certain it was Karina; it was hard to forget her after how they met at the Goddess Tower. She looked different though, instead of her brown eyes and dirty blonde hair, both were icy blue. She smiled at the camera and held up a soft drink bottle.

 

"So that's what he meant..." Barnaby thought aloud as he remembered one of his talks with Kotetsu. The old man had a tendency to lecture and offer up 'advice'. Usually it was stuff he already learned from the academy or just seemed nonsensical. He would mostly just half listen when Kotetsu went off on one of his lectures. He did remember paying a little more attention to that conversation though and that it struck him as odd. The thought that harbingers of death would take side jobs was a little silly until Barnaby thought it over a little more. A life in Purgatory was the result of one's sins, filling up free time must have been a nice distraction from such a grim reality. The extra money probably didn't hurt either, even in death nothing was free! When Kotetsu first mentioned it Barnaby hadn't thought much of it. But now he was reluctantly beginning to understand the old man's point. Sitting alone in that apartment doing nothing was starting to drive him mad. As he watched Karina on the TV he toyed with the idea of getting into media. He could remember doing something like that while alive, though those memories were still just out of his reach.

 

From the looks of things it seemed that Karina was a pop idol in Sternbild. She sang the product's jingle and gave playful wink and an impish smile. Barnaby found himself staring for a little while after the commercial had ended. He pondered for a moment on how many of the creatures he saw on TV were fellow grim reapers. The idea of taking up such a job was tempting at that point. He knew he wouldn't always be on the job, so what could he do in his spare time?

 

Barnaby gave a short sigh, he'd ask about getting another job later. For the time being he did his best to relax. That feeling of restless never left him, it was irritating and also a little troubling. That restlessness that stirred within him had a similar feel to that night where he lost control over himself. He frowned, his attention drifting away from the TV an into his own thoughts. He tried to remember what happened that night. Barnaby tried to go over the events in his head a few times that day. His mind was clouded with carnal urges and instinct. The more he thought about it the more he hated it. It was like there was two of him, the real Barnaby and a monster. He didn't remember anything like that from his time with the Grim Reaper Academy. It left him to wonder if there was something wrong with him. If he was the only one that couldn't control the 'other him'.

 

Barnaby sighed and sat back in his chair, the noise of the TV provided a background ambience. He tried to focus his thoughts. What he could remember was aiming his gun at Kotetsu. Somehow the old man managed to get an advantage over him and had him pinned to the ground. He could remember seeing something in Kotetsu's eyes that frightened him. The old man wasn't very intimidating to him usually, but for that moment he looked like a monster. That wild look in his eyes drove whatever had its hold on Barnaby back into the deep recesses of his mind. Perhaps the old man was more than he seemed.

 

Then there was a strange woman with her strange clothes and serpent tattoos. He knew that symbol, he couldn't truly forget it. The image of a serpent devouring its own tail, Ouroboros. The name would slip out of his mouth so quickly and naturally, he has lost count how many times he said the word during his life. Ouroboros, it was there, the night that his parents died.

 

Barnaby's mind started to slip further and further back, drifting through the jumbled mess of memory. To when he was a teenager, holding up a drawing of that snake and asking passersby if they knew anything about it. It was cold that day, it felt even colder as people passed him by and ignored him. Then even further back, he could hear the distant sound of crackling flames in his ear. Images of the living room in his childhood home little flame flashed in his mind. He remembered staring at them, the lifeless bodies of his mother and father as they played crumpled and slumped over on the couch. Behind them painted on the wall and what could have been blood was the symbol of Ouroboros. Lost in his memory, Barnaby could hear the crackling flames more clearly.  He could even smell the smoke as it assaulted his nose with that ghastly heat. There was another sound, it was easy to miss at first but as Barnaby concentrated more the second sound became clearer. It was the sound of heavy footsteps walking up from behind him. Something was behind him that day.

 

At that moment Barnaby shivered, he could feel goose bumps rising from his skin. He turned around and looked behind only to see the large windows that showed the city. He was no longer trapped in his memory; he was back in his apartment, alone. Barnaby caught himself breathing heavily; he took a moment to try to calm down. Part of him wanted to try to remember what he saw that day. Yet his memories became foggy again and hard to recall. It took a little while for him to relax, whatever happened that day scared him.

 

Why was his memory so jumbled? Barnaby couldn't help but think back on the conversation he had with Kotetsu about sins. Sins that every Grim Reaper wanted to forget and be redeemed for. Was that the cause for his broken memories? Were his sins so bad that he wanted to forget and his memories ended up shattered?

 

Before Barnaby could think anymore on the matter, the phone rang and startled him. He looked at the phone on a nearby table. He was secretly thankful that it decided to ring at that time. He reached over and picked it up to answer it.

 

"Barnaby speaking..." He said tiredly. He was surprised how delving into his own memories took a lot of energy out of him.

 

"Yo! Barnaby!" It was Kotetsu, which wasn't surprising; so far he was the only one that would call the fledgling. "How are you feeling today? Are you getting enough to eat? Enough sleep?"

 

One of Barnaby's eyebrows gives an irritated twitch. The volume of the man's voice made him hold the phone away from his ear. "Old man, if you have business with me then just say it."

 

"No need to be so cold, kid. It is a part of my job to keep an eye on you." Kotetsu's voice had a sound of disappointment. Barnaby could only imagine the man pouting like a child. "Anyway, listen up, how would you like to go out with me so we can help you get some practice?"

 

"Practice? What kind of practice?" Barnaby asked.

 

"You'll see once we get over there, it's a little hard to explain over the phone." Kotetsu answered thoughtfully. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Um, if it's a bad day for you that's fine. We can do it another time."

 

Barnaby frowned; it felt like Kotetsu was treating him like a child. The sudden feeling of stubbornness hit him and he felt determined to go. "I'll be there old man; I'll meet you at the goddess tower."

 

There was little trouble getting where they needed to go that day. Barnaby was getting used to navigating his way to the Goddess Tower and to its travel gates. Any small talk that Kotetsu tried to make upon his arrival was shut down with Barnaby insisting that they get on with business. As disappointed as he was, Kotetsu didn't make any arguments. He could see that Barnaby was a little on edge and couldn't blame him, the kid was faced with an ugly side of himself. Their trip took them back to New York, more specifically, a children's hospital.

 

There was a certain familiarity Barnaby felt when he saw it. Even when he and Kotetsu walked its halls there were certain things that he knew. There was a playroom for the children that he was instinctively drawn to. Barnaby found himself pausing at the door way and peering inside. It was empty, save for the toys, but he could almost hear the laughter of the children that would play there.

 

For a brief moment his mind flashed to a memory. He was standing in the middle of the room with the children surrounding him, all excited to see him. Barnaby could remember that he was handing out gifts to the children. The memory made his heart feel warm, there was no feeling of fear or dread like with the other slivers of memories he had seen. He knew that he truly enjoyed seeing the children happy and that it was something that felt natural. Like he had done things like that many times before. Another mental flash hit him and his memories were pulled even further back. He was seated in a corner of the play room, hugging close to him a small, blue toy robot. His eyes ached as hot tears leaked from them. Barnaby was jolted from his memories when he suddenly felt a tapping on his shoulder. He was met with Kotetsu motioning for them to get moving, the two of them then continued their walk down the halls of the hospital.

 

"So why did you bring me here, old man?" Barnaby asked. It wouldn't be surprising that he would have to collect souls from a place like this it felt like there was another reason why they came here.

 

"I'm here for my own reasons but I figured it would be a nice place for you to practice." Kotetsu explained as he watched his surroundings. His attention often caught by parents visiting their children.

 

Barnaby caught Kotetsu staring, he followed the man's gaze and saw what he was looking at. There were parents visiting their children often with little gifts like stuffed animals. Seeing the joy light on the face of a child at seeing their parent stirred something in Barnaby. A feeling that seemed just out of reach for him.

 

_'Don't do it! Please, I have a daughter!'_

 

He could clearly remember hearing Kotetsu say that. For some reason hearing that helped pull him from his bloodlust and bring him back to his senses. The idea of orphaning a child, the idea that someone else would have to go through what he had was too much. Barnaby tried to push that thought to the back of his mind, he could hear the faint familiar sound of crackling fire and footsteps. He was starting to understand why grim reapers wanted to forget, the power of memory could be frightening. Instead he turned his attentions back to Kotetsu, the man was a puzzle to say the least.  

 

In all honesty Barnaby couldn't be too sure if what Kotetsu said was the really truth. After all, he said himself that reapers were all sinners. Perhaps in his lifetime Kotetsu was a liar or maybe if he did have a family, he could have killed them himself. That thought sent a slight chill through him. He caught Kotetsu watching a room nearby; he could've sworn he saw the man smiling. Barnaby's gaze then moved to the room and caught sight of a young boy sitting up in bed smiling and talking with his father.

 

"Looks like his parents are making time to see him after all." Kotetsu thought aloud. His smile started to die when it seemed a thought suddenly occurred to him. He frowned and lightly nibbled on his bottom lip, whatever he was thinking about must have been troubling.

 

"Are you alright, old man?"

 

Kotetsu blinked and looked back at Barnaby. He a sheepish smile tugged at the corners of his lips, scratched the back of his head and gave a short laugh. "It's nothing! Anyway, let's get down to business, why I brought you here."

 

"Aren't we just going to collect souls here?" Barnaby asked. It wasn't like Kotetsu had him do much else. The man wasn't much of a mentor as he was a taskmaster.

 

"Well, there's more to it than that. This is kinda about what happened at the train wreck." Kotetsu explained. He could see Barnaby frown and look away from him. "Hey, listen to me on this, you're not the first one to lose control like that."

 

Barnaby didn't care for Kotetsu's attempts at being reassuring. He wanted nothing to do with the man and here he was trying to be friendly. In a way it felt like he was being treated like a child and Barnaby hated it. "Are you saying that it happened you too?"

 

"Yeah, it did. It can happen anyone of us, even if you're experienced. It's kind of like an ongoing battle between your humanity and a more beastly part of you. At least, that was how it was explained to me when I was a fledgling." Kotetsu said thoughtfully. He couldn't help but think back a little on his time with his own mentor and how he was quite the handful for the poor guy. His smile became more fond with his brief jaunt down memory lane. Kotetsu could remember how frightening everything was when the full weight of his situation finally hit him. Was Barnaby was also a little afraid? It was hard to tell with the fledgling, he wasn't easy to read and always had his guard up.

 

Even then Barnaby looked distant as his mind took him back to that night. "What was that? What happened to me?"

 

"Um, well..." Kotetsu scratched the back of his head as he tried to piece together a decent answer. "I guess the easiest way to say it is that we're not human. Not anymore, anyway."

 

Barnaby gave a confused frown as he slightly canted his head to the side. This earned a forced, half laugh from Kotetsu, it wasn't a subjust that was easy to explain. But it was part of the job, he was the kid's mentor after all. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued.

 

"We still have our humanity but once we die we're not human anymore. We're just a soul and when we're picked to be grim reapers we are put in a body that's made to look like us when we were alive." Kotetsu could see the look on the boy's go from confusion to being disturbed.

 

Barnaby looked down at his hands and flexed them, he could feel them, they felt like his regular hands. He didn't have any problems controlling them, his body didn't feel fake. A memory played in his mind, of him standing at his own funeral watching his casket as it was lowered into the ground. That was right; his body was in a grave next to his parents. Barnaby felt his stomach twist at the memory, at the thought that he had failed. But what did he fail? Why couldn't he remember? He was starting to feel sick, his hand went to his chest expecting a heartbeat but felt nothing. There was _something_ there though, where his heart should've been, he could feel it ache. Barnaby felt a hand gently being placed on his back, he jumped. He looked up and saw a startled Kotetsu, his eyes filled with worry.

 

"It's a lot to take in, but it's going to be okay." the older man tried to sound reassuring. He could feel Barnaby slip from his touch when he pulled away from him. The frown he got in response was starting to make Kotetsu believe that there would be no way to bridge the gap between them.

 

"I don't trust you." Barnaby asserted.

 

Kotetsu's look of concern contorted into a frown, he crossed his arms and gave a short sigh. "Well I don't like you much either but we're stuck together. Might as well get used to it."

 

"I don't need you to take pity on me."

 

"It's not pity!" Kotetsu looked away from him stubbornly, what he was going to say wouldn't leave him. Seeing Barnaby's expectant gaze didn't help matters any either. He shook his head and forced the words out, "I messed up, alright? I admit it, I didn't take things seriously."

 

"So you're just trying to save your own ass."

 

Kotetsu blinked, he looked like he was slapped in the face by that comment. He shook his head and gave a single forced laugh. "Yeah, I AM trying to save my own ass but I'm also trying to save _yours_ too. If I fail I'll just have a lot more time added to my sentence. If _you_ fail then you're going straight to Hell."

 

Barnaby stared at Kotetsu for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as the man's words sank in. His mind drifted back to the memories that he saw before. The warmth and natural feeling of doing something good for people was real, he was certain about that. So why was he in this situation? What did he do that had him at risk of going to Hell?

 

"But why?" Barnaby thought aloud, his usual cool demeanor wavered.

 

"You committed a pretty hefty sin." Kotetsu explained, he was growing a little annoyed at this point. "I told you this before! Weren't you listenin-"

 

"But I don't even know what I did!" Barnaby snapped without warning, the small outburst caused Kotetsu to jump. "It's not fair..."

 

Kotetsu's look of surprise soon faded into concern. For once Barnaby let that stoic mask of maturity slip and revealed the scared boy that it hid. He was truly smart but he was still young and naive to the cruelty of fate. Kotetsu could feel an ache in his chest, _his_ fledgling was scared and suffering. That thought stirred up his instincts and fed them like fuel to a flame. Kotetsu felt the strong need to protect the kid but he knew he couldn't baby him, that wouldn't help him grow. Perhaps instead maybe he could help give him a little peace of mind.

 

Kotetsu breathed in, gave a short sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Then, how about we make a deal?"

 

"What kind of deal?" Barnaby asked cautiously.

 

"I'm helping with an investigation, so I can sneak a peek at some of the records in the Goddess Tower." Kotetsu began, he paused a moment to let his words sink in. "I could try to look for your files. They should have the details about your life, death, and what your sin is."

 

"You'd really do that?" Barnaby's eyes widened with surprise but he soon looked suspicious. "What's the catch old man?"

 

"Hey, come on! It's not like you're not making a deal with a devil here, it's just me!" Kotetsu laughed a little. The irony of that old saying wasn't lost on him though. He smiled and continued more genuinely, "Let's just play nice and get along, I help you and you help me. That's fair, isn't it?"

 

It seemed simple enough, that much Barnaby had to admit. But could he really trust this man? He was a self admitted sinner, his friendliness and concern could easily be a mask that hid something much darker. His eyes locked with Kotetsu's, for the first time Barnaby noticed how they looked almost golden. The older reaper's eyes were focused and didn't waver; it was the most honest he ever looked in their short time together.

 

"I _want_ to help you, Barnaby." Kotetsu said firmly. He held out a hand, offering a handshake to seal the deal.

 

Barnaby hesitated for a moment but did take the older reaper's hand and shook on it.  "If you don't like me that much then why are you so eager to help?"

 

"Ah, blame my own instincts for that one." Kotetsu scratched the back of his head and gave sheepish smile. "You're _my_ fledgling, so I feel the need to take care of you." He could see a confused look on Barnaby's face and couldn't help but laugh. "It's just how we're wired. Think of it kind of like being a baby bird, you're stuck with me being your papa bird. So don't worry so much, Papa will keep the baby safe."

 

"What...?" Barnaby canted his head to the side. He took a brief moment to go over what Kotetsu had just said. All he could imagine were those old black and white cartoons where the animals would be partially clothed and would dance and sing show tunes.

 

"I don't think you look much like a bird though, maybe more like..." Kotetsu took a short moment to get a good look at Barnaby. He snapped his fingers and gave an impish smile. "You look more like a rabbit, I guess that makes you a little Bunny then!"

 

"Quit being creepy and just train me, old man!" Barnaby asserted, a hint of a blush tinged his cheeks.

 

"Whatever you say, Bunny-chan~!" Kotetsu sang the new nickname playfully, quite pleased with it. He calmed a little when he saw Barnaby was not amused but his smile never left. "Your exercise is going to be a simple one today. You don't have to collect souls but you have to pay attention to your feelings and instincts."

 

"How am I supposed to do that?"

 

"It's easy, walk around the hallways and watch the people in the hospital." Kotetsu said simply. Barnaby waited for him to give more of a real answer. "You have to pay attention to yourself. Hospitals are places where life and death mingle so you'll feel the urge to reap souls. That's your instincts, get a feel for them and practice disciplining yourself by not collecting souls unless you absolutely need to."

 

Barnaby's eyes shifted away from Kotetsu and looked down at the floor. The thought of facing his 'other self' made his stomach twist and his mouth feel dry. One question kept repeating itself over and over in his mind, "What if I lose control again?"

 

"That happened because there was a strong demon nearby, you reacted to protect the souls." Kotetsu explained, he tried to sound reassuring. He offered a small smile before he continued. "There's no threat around so it'll be easy. Plus I'm here, I might not look it but I can kick some ass if I have to."

 

Barnaby signed, he still felt a little uneasy but he didn't have other options. He looked at Kotetsu and then averted his eyes, he hesitated before he finally asked: "Will you walk around with me? J-just for a little bit."

 

Kotetsu opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. Barnaby could feel that he was about to say 'no'. It was understandable he said himself that he had his own business to attend to at this hospital.

 

"You know what? I will." Kotetsu finally said with a slight nod. He walked on ahead of Barnaby and started to make his way down the hall. "But I'll have go to take care of a...'loose end' a bit later."

 

Relief washed over Barnaby when he heard those words, he was smiling without realizing it. "That's fair enough."

 

"Come on Little Bunny, we don't have all day." Kotetsu suddenly spoke.

 

Barnaby moved to catch up to the older grim reaper and heard him start into one of his little lectures. He was sure it was probably something he had learned already but this time he decided to listen.

 

-End of Chapter-


	7. The Struggles of a Father

"So your Dad came to visit you, huh?" Kotetsu said with a weary smile. He was sitting in the visitor's chair watching Tony as he showed off pictures from his father's trip. He was glad to see the kid was in high spirits despite his condition.

 

"Yeah, it was awesome! He had a bunch of stories to tell me about his trip, it was so cool!" Tony said excitedly with a big smile. "I really missed him..." He then had to take a moment to breathe; he had been so excited that day. First dad and now his ghost detective friend had come to visit him, it was a great day!

 

The corner of Kotetsu's mouth twitched when he heard that. His memories, which were usually tucked away safe in the back of his mind started to surface. The feel of warm spring breezes blowing across his face carrying the scent of flowers. A voice of a little girl calling out and running towards him as he approached their home.

 

"Do you have a family?" Tony suddenly asked, catching Kotetsu off guard.

 

The grim reaper looked at the boy confused for a moment; he looked away from Tony and gazed out the nearby window. His memories started to come in brief glimpses. Kaede pouting and scolding him for being away for so long and Tomoe's knowing smile as she watched them. "Yes, I did once, a long time ago."

 

"Once...?"

 

"They're gone now." Kotetsu moved his gaze from the window but still wouldn't look at Tony. His voice became low and could barely be heard, "I'll be joining them soon."

 

His attention was suddenly caught by the sound of wet, violent coughing. Kotetsu's eyes were brought right back to Tony who was trying to catch his breath after the coughing fit subsided. The boy's breathing was labored and took a little while to return to normal. When he noticed the worried look on Kotetsu's face he offered a weary smile.

 

"It's okay, I'm use to that. It just hurts my chest a little."

 

Since his last visit Tony's health had declined rapidly. The boy was pale and had become thinner since the last time Kotetsu came to see him. When Tony looked at him there was a constant tired look in his eyes that tugged at Kotetsu's own parental instincts. His mind would flash back to times when his own child would be sick with fever or a cold.

 

For a brief moment Kotetsu was no longer in the hospital room but his old home from years ago. He was sitting next to his dear daughter, Kaede. He would watch her eat and talk to her when he could out of fear that that she could be taken from Tomoe and him while he was away. Kotetsu couldn't be with Kaede as much as he wanted to, his job made it difficult to spend time with his family. He could hear Kaede's protests against him leaving and Tomoe wishing him luck echo in his ears. Their voices were more distant these days than they used to be but always still there.

 

"Kotetsu...?"

 

Tony's voice snapped Kotetsu out of his daze. He blinked and saw the boy looking at him with concern; it was a little ironic since he was the one that was ill. "Huh? What happened?"

 

"You were spacing out for a while." Tony explained. "Are you feeling oka-" He was cut off as he began to cough again. Tony thumped on his chest a little but despite his efforts he started to have a coughing fit.

 

Like a reflex Kotetsu reached out to pat the Tony's back but his hand froze and hovered above, resisting touching him. Kotetsu's eyes began to dimly glow; he could see the soul that was hidden inside. The blue flame appeared to be losing its connection to Tony's body, it wouldn't be long. Maybe a couple of weeks or a month at most.

 

 _'End it. He's **suffering**.'_ whispered a voice; it sounded as if it was breathed into his ear.

 

Kotetsu's body froze up when he heard it. There was an aching in his chest, his soul flared as something within him roused awake and stirred. Kotetsu's hand went to his chest as he took slow, deep breaths and tried to will his soul to calm down. He could feel it, that carnal urge trying to claw its way to the surface. Slowly it tried claw and tear away at Kotetsu's willpower.

 

_'You weak, selfish old bastard. Just take it already! It's what you came here to do, **wasn't it**?'_

 

Kotetsu abruptly stood up from his seat and took a couple of steps towards the door. He stopped when he felt Tony's hand grab onto his wrist. He looked back at the child and saw his pleading eyes. Tony's coughing had finally started to calm down.

 

"Please don't go yet!" he said between coughs. It wasn't long before the coughing fit finally stopped. Tony took a moment to catch his breath before continuing to speak, "I'm okay, I promise."

 

Meanwhile just a few halls away, Barnaby felt the appearance of something powerful and dangerous. The feeling crashed over him like a wave that was trying to sweep him away to the sea. A shiver crawled throughout Barnaby's skin as his instinctual side emerged again. Only instead of urging him to kill and collect souls, it was demanding that he leave. Something higher on the food chain was nearby and it wanted to survive. Barnaby sucked in a deep breath; it was shaky at first but steadied as he started to regain hold of his senses. He took another breath to help himself calm down a little more and then summoned his reaper weapon to his hand. He willed his instinctual side back in its place; he couldn't leave the old man. They were tied together as mentor and student, dare he say that they were partners.

 

Barnaby thought back on where Kotetsu could have gone. The man made good on his promise and only left Barnaby on his own when he felt confident enough to practice by himself. He remembered when he spotted Kotetsu staring at a particular room that wasn't too far from the playroom. Barnaby could remember the way the older man looked at the room. A look of bittersweet happiness that faded all too soon. Was the 'loose end' that he mentioned in that room?

 

It was the only lead that he had to go on, so Barnaby hurriedly made his way down the hall. He went over his steps with Kotetsu, turning back time in his head to retrace where he had been.  As he did glimpses of memories of times he had spent in that hospital would flash in his mind occasionally.

 

Sometimes the memories mixed, his past and the memories of Kotetsu trying to give him lessons. In one memory he and Kotetsu were not in the hospital at all. They were in a burning building, the burning parlor of his childhood home. Kotetsu's image started to change, blurring and becoming darker. It was as if the man was being devoured by shadows. A sudden sharp pain throbbed in Barnaby's head, causing him to stop in his tracks. He took a couple of slow breaths to calm down and to push the memories to the back of his mind. He looked around at his surroundings and found that he had made it back to the room that triggered Kotetsu's strange behavior.

 

"Is your headache better Kotetsu?"

 

Barnaby could hear voices coming from the room. That was a child's voice, he was certain of it but didn't Kotetsu say they couldn't be seen by the living?

 

"Mm, yeah..." Kotetsu responded, surprising the blond even more. "Uh, it's just stress. Enough about that, let's talk about your Dad's visit."

 

Barnaby frowned a little; he mentally went over what he was told by Kotetsu and the Academy. Mortals couldn't see them, that was a fact. Yet it sounded like Kotetsu was having a chat with one of the patients. Barnaby carefully walked closer to the room.

 

"He brought you something pretty cool." Kotetsu said. Barnaby pressed himself against the wall just outside the door to stay out of view and listened in.

 

"Yeah! He got this from his trip in India!" a voice of a little boy said with excitement. "He travels around the world for his job. He's away a lot but he tries to bring me things from his trips. He said this one is for good luck."

 

"Hmm..." Barnaby could almost hear the half smile Kotetsu probably made. "Ah, I guess you're going to need it, right? Did the doctor say that you improved at all?"

 

"They don't tell me anything." The boy replied, he sounded a little annoyed. "I don't get why they won't, I'm the patient, right? Aren't they supposed to tell me?"

 

"How do _you_ feel, Tony?"

 

"...Not very good."

 

Barnaby cautiously moved so he could take a peek inside the room. There he saw Kotetsu sitting in a chair next to the bed of a sickly looking little boy. Something about the child felt very strange. Whatever it was immediately stirred up the monstrous side of him. Barnaby clutched his hand to his chest and mentally urged that part of him to calm down. He forced his focus to shift from Tony to Kotetsu. The old grim reaper had some sort of charm in his hand; he looked it over carefully before handing it back to the child. Tony held the charm in his hands, looking at it despondently.

 

"It's not going to help me, is it?"

 

Kotetsu reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. He took in a breath and seemed like he was about to say something reassuring instead it came out as a tired sigh. He nibbled nervously on his bottom lip for a moment before he could muster up to courage to say anything. "No, it's not."

 

"Hey, Kotetsu..." Tony began; there was a cautious tone in his voice. "Do you know what's wrong with me?"

 

Kotetsu didn't answer right away. He opened his mouth slightly, the words must have been on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't bring himself to say them. He hesitated and was met with an expectant look from Tony. He didn't want to tell him but the kid was smart enough to know that Kotetsu had some answers.

 

"Yes...and no." he had to force the words out. Seeing Tony stare at him still expecting more of an answer caused him to shift in is seat uncomfortably. Kotetsu took in a breath and gave a short sigh before he spoke again, "You know what I am, don't you?"

 

"You're a ghost, right? A ghost policeman."

 

A weak laugh escaped Kotetsu he cast his eyes away from Tony as one of the corners of his mouth twitched into a weak half smile. "Uh, well, yeah...That's part of it at least."

 

"What's the other part?" Tony asked.

 

Kotetsu still wouldn't look at him, in his head he tried to pick the right words. Tony was a smart kid, much like Kaede that much he was certain about. He took in breath and released it slowly and braced himself. "Tony, I'm...I'm dea-"

 

Right at that moment Kotetsu's beaded bracelet began to glow, it caught his attention instantly. Lifting his wrist he mentally thanked it for going off when it did.

 

"What's that?" Tony asked.

 

"Looks like I'm needed to help with a case." Kotetsu said, he a small sigh of relief. He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door to take his leave. "I have to go, but I'll be back to visit again."

 

"Will it be soon?" Tony asked with a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

 

Kotetsu paused just at the doorway; he spoke low, "For your sake, I hope not."

 

As he walked out of Tony's room he caught sight of Barnaby, who was trying to back away and not look too suspicious.

 

"Bunny-chan?" Kotetsu said with surprise. He canted his head to the side and his voice took on a slightly more serious tone, "How long have you been out here?"

 

"I just got here, I was wondering where you ran off to." Barnaby explained.  It was the truth, for the most part. Right then he realized that the strange presence that he had felt before was gone. He gave a blink and looked a little confused. Barnaby was then surprised by Kotetsu pressing a hand to his forehead and swatted the man's hand away. "What are you doing?"

 

"Checking if you have a temperature, you're acting a little weird, Bunny." Kotetsu said with a look of worry on his face. He gave a tired half smile before he continued; a little melancholy laced his voice, "You should probably go home and rest up. Using up too much of your energy can make you sick."

 

Barnaby frowned a little, his cheeks tinged with the slightest hint of red. Embarrassing, again he was being treated like a child. But maybe what was even more embarrassing was that he wasn't bothered by it as much this time. Was that man slipping past his defenses? Barnaby averted his eyes from Kotetsu before he finally spoke.

 

"Old man, stop being foolish." he said with an annoyed sigh. Barnaby reached up and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to regain his usual cool demeanor. "Did you feel a strange presence from earlier? It felt dangerous, so I..." He paused when he realized how it sounded. He heard the old grim reaper laugh and Barnaby's face burned a deeper shade of red.

 

"So you were worried about me, huh?" Kotetsu said as his smile grew.

 

"Only because our fates our linked together! Don't think that it's anything more than that, old man."

 

Kotetsu's smile never left him and his eyes twinkled with a knowing look. "You sound a lot like Karina; I think you two would get along pretty well."

 

"Don't try to play matchmaker for people, you shouldn't meddle in others' business like that." Barnaby scolded him.

 

"Take it easy, I'm just saying that you should make some friends." Kotetsu tried to explain. "You're going to be here for a while, so have some friends so you don't get lonely."

 

Barnaby rolled his eyes at the ridiculous lecture and spoke up, "Please, just answer my question. Did you notice a strange presence earlier?"

 

Kotetsu's playful attitude faded and he became more serious. He took a moment to mentally go over what happened after they split up but then gave a shrug. "Can't say I did. Sorry Bunny..."

 

One of Barnaby's eyebrows gave a twitch at hearing that stupid nickname. Was he really going to keep calling him that?

 

"Look, it's not a big deal, if there was something dangerous nearby it probably felt our presence and left." Kotetsu tried to sound reassuring. "It's tough enough trying to fight one reaper, fighting two is way too much trouble."

 

"Why is your bracelet glowing?"

 

Kotetsu blinked and lifted his wrist; his beaded bracelet was still giving off a glow that pulsed brighter and dimmed. "Oh shit, I forgot! We got to cut this short; I'm being called for something."

 

"I think I'm supposed to go with you." Barnaby added.

 

"Huh?" Kotetsu looked at his partner and saw him showing off his own more modern bracelet which was also glowing. He canted his head to the side and looked a little confused. Kotetsu then held up his wrist that wore the bracelet and lightly rubbed his thumb over one of the beads. "This is Kotetsu, what's going on?"

 

A wisp of smoke emerged from the beads of the bracelet and formed a circle, within it a glowing image of Agnes appeared.

 

"Bonjour, Harbingers of Death~!"

 

Barnaby blinked at the sight and stared for a moment before he looked at his own bracelet. It was much more modern and complicated compared to Kotetsu's. He could see a small, glowing button that called his attention. When he pressed it a hologram screen appeared over his bracelet showing the same image of Agnes.

 

"Good to see Barnaby got the signal too." Agnes said with a sly smirk. "I have an assignment for you two so listen up! We have ourselves a demon hunt tonight, Kotetsu will be participating and so will Barnaby."

 

"Wait, what?" Kotetsu said with a blink. "I thought I was suspended! And why drag Barnaby into that crap?"

 

"Hold your tongue Kotetsu, I won't tolerate you raising your voice to me." Agnes warned, a dark look flickered in her eyes. Kotetsu quieted down and muttered a small apology before she continued. "True, your little incident in England did get you into a lot of trouble. But the higher ups are giving you a chance to make up for that little mistake."

 

"I was just doing my job..." Kotetsu grumbled.

 

"Hush, you know what you did." She said with a tone of finality. "Moving on, I want you to take Barnaby with you on tonight's Demon Hunt and show him the ropes."

 

"Can I ask why at least?" Kotetsu spoke up. He was careful to mind his tone as he continued, "That kind of stuff was supposed to come after they become true reapers, isn't it?"

 

"Normally yes, but today's hunt is a special case. From what I've been told the higher ups want to see the fruits of the academy's labors in action." Agnes explained. "So you'll see other fledglings out in the field as well."

 

Kotetsu was quiet with a serious look on his face. "Agnes, we've known each other for a hell of a long time, you can't tell me that doesn't sound like a load of bullshit."

 

Agnes gave a surprised blink but remained silent. She averted her eyes from him and her domineering presence died down and appeared more concerned.

 

Barnaby gave a small irritated sigh. "Kotetsu, could you please show some respect? She's-"

 

"I see, so even you can notice it too then?" Agnes finally spoke up, cutting Barnaby off. "I was starting to think that it was just my own bitterness with them that made it seem that way."

 

"Look, I have never been smart with the politics of the higher ups or The Powers That Be..." Kotetsu began, as he continued there was almost a bit of bitterness in his voice. "But gut instinct tells me they're either looking to weed out the weak or something just as sick. I don't want _my_ fledgling in that situation, I don't want _any_  fledgling being sent out to just to die."

 

As Barnaby watched them talk he felt incredibly small. For once Kotetsu was actually starting to show his age, as crude as he was his words carried a certain weight to them. Concern, bitterness, and perhaps a hidden wisdom from who knows how many years of being prisoner in a strange world.

 

"I'll try to look into what's going on and see if I can intervene." Agnes said with sigh. "After all, this is my department and you all belong to me."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barnaby asked.

 

Kotetsu spoke up, "Agnes is head of the department of Life and Death, that means every grim reaper and fledgling is under her command. She worked hard to become boss after her position as a 'talent scout' was trashed, she'll never ever let you forget that."

 

Agnes herself then added to Kotetsu's explanation. "The only people I answer to are people we call the 'higher ups', you can think of them as the mouth pieces of the gods, and the gods themselves. And damn right I won't let you forget it! Do You think getting this position is easy? I take care of my reapers and they give me respect...or else."

 

Barnaby felt a little light headed as he tried to process all of this new information. At least he got a better idea of how the hierarchy worked in the afterlife, it was complicated, strange, and full of people playing with the lives of others. Not all that different from the politics of the living. 

 

Agnes looked at Kotetsu and gave a sly smile that made her look almost fox like. "I'm surprised; you're a little more astute than usual today Kotetsu~! You should try it more often; maybe you'd make it to the top of the charts again." She then winked at him playfully. "I'd personally love to see that."

 

"Hmm..." Kotetsu looked away from her; obviously something about what she said struck a nerve with him. In that moment he reverted back to his old aloof self as he grumbled something under his breath.

 

"Miss Joubert..." Barnaby intervened before they could get anymore off topic. "What is a 'Demon Hunt'?"

 

"Ah, down to business I see, you'll do well in this line of work if you keep it up." Agnes said quite pleased. "I'm sure that you've noticed the split in the world of the living, right?"

 

"You mean the things humans can't see anymore?" Barnaby said with a slight hint of uncertainty.

 

Kotetsu smiled, glad that the kid seemed to listen at least a little bit. "While humans can't see their world is divided that doesn't mean they can't affect each other."

 

Agnes nodded and continued to add more to Kotetsu's explanation. "There are some creatures out there that hold strong resentment towards humans, so they try to cause trouble in their part of the world. The job of keeping the peace was tossed into our department's lap."

 

"And you profit from it if anything 'juicy' happens." Kotetsu interjected. "She either plays replays of said crap for the people of Sternbild or sometimes we have live airings when things really get interesting."

 

"Like that time in England~!" Agnes chimed in.

 

"Would you stop with that?!" Kotetsu snapped.

 

"Understood." Barnaby said with a nod, ignoring Kotetsu's plight. "Where do you want us to go then?"

 

Agnes smiled, both glad and amused by Barnaby's compliance. "For now we have to do as we are told. There's still a potential threat that could effect the living if it's not nipped in the bud. Rendezvous at the Goddess Tower, you'll be assigned spots and move out from there."

 

With that Agnes ended the call. She stood in her office as her usual confident demeanor faded from her face. In her mind she was going over what Kotetsu had said. Leave it to him to pick on the details at the strangest times. Agnes didn't like to admit it but there were times that he could still impress her.

 

"That idiot, can't he just let me enjoy the idea of good ratings in peace?" she thought aloud with a small sigh. Though the truth of the matter was more grim it helped to try to have a little sense of humor.

 

Agnes smiled a little as she thought about how, for a moment, Kotetsu looked like he did years ago. Back when he was at the top of his game and when the business of life and death wasn't so black and white and political. But it wasn't the time for nostalgia; Agnes shook the memories of the old days from her mind and proceeded to make another call.

 

"Mary? Are you there?"

 

"Yes, Director!" said a voice from the phone on Agnes' desk. A holographic screen appeared above it, showing the face of young woman. She wore a pair of smart red glasses and had dark hair tied up into a pony tail. "Is there something that you need?"

 

"Yes, it's about the demon hunt tonight. I want to know who gave the order to make the fledglings participate and try to cancel it out if you can." Agnes paused for a moment as it seemed like another thought occurred to her. "Also, I want to know who reported on the demon activity that's supposed to happen tonight. I want to be sure that the Higher Ups' 'reliable source' is actually reliable."

 

"Yes ma'am! I'll be as quick as possible!" Mary said with a nod. The holographic screen then disappeared as she went to work.

 

Agnes looked up at a clock that hung on the wall of her office. She frowned at realizing just how little time they had. By now the grim reapers that were assigned to New York would start to gather. She would have to leave as well to direct and produce the footage for the night. It wasn't a job that the people higher up the food chain were willing to do themselves. Luckily for them Agnes had taken a liking to the job. Bringing the people of Sternbild entertainment and helping the reapers be seen in a more positive light. She was good at it and it showed in her lavish office, her confident demeanor, and of course the successful ratings. Yet she couldn't forget her original job, before life and death became a form of entertainment, she had to look out for her grim reapers.

 

At that moment the phone on the desk rang. Agnes pressed a button to answer it and Mary once again appeared on screen. "Any luck?"

 

"I couldn't get them to cancel the order; the chairman of board was the one who came up with the idea." Mary explained, she gave a small dejected sigh. "I'm sorry, I really tried."

 

"It's alright Mary; I figured it was going to be a long shot." Agnes looked up at the clock again, she had to get ready. Her finger tapped against the surface of her desk and she tried to think. "At least we know who's to blame. Did you at least find out who the 'reliable source' was?"

 

Mary gave a nod and a small smile. "That much I was able to do. It was a reaper, but there's something a little strange about the report. According to the file on them they've been MIA for at least a few months."

 

"And they just came back out of the blue?"

 

"I don't know exactly, their file was protected. I only was able to get that much and their name." Mary explained.

 

"Well out with it already, who it is it?" Agnes pressed for an answer.

 

"Oh right! Sorry! It's a reaper named Ja-" in an instant Mary's image disappeared.

 

"Mary? Mary!" Agnes moved her hand to call her back when right then a new screen appeared. "What the hell!?"

 

"Ah, Miss Joubert!" sounded a nasally voice spoke in a slight sing-song tone. Its owner's image abruptly appeared on screen. It was an older man, with straight graying hair that hung just above his shoulders. Save for the tiny spectacles resting on his face, he was dressed smart. A mix of business and casual styles with his dark green suit jacket and plain black shirt. The man's voice became a little darker as he continued but managed to keep a little playfulness, "I see you're been getting a little too nosey. Shame on you!"

 

"Mark Schneider..." Agnes said as she frowned, her voice had a drip of venom. "I wouldn't say looking out for my reapers is being nosey. What are you doing sending fledglings into a demon hunt anyway?"

 

"Hmm? I don't see anything wrong with it, they have to get some 'real hands on experience' anyway, don't they?" Schneider said with a smirk.

 

"Are you crazy!?" Agnes glared at Schneider's image. "It's not like they have mentors to help protect them out there. Another bright idea by _you_ , might I add."

 

"If they're not strong enough to protect themselves that's their fault." Schneider said with a shrug. "Survival of the fittest and all that crap."

 

"Are kidding me? The numbers of the grim reapers are _falling_! Killing off fledglings isn't going to help that!" Agnes could feel her temper come to a boil when she saw Schneider nonchalantly picking his ear with his pinky finger. She took a breath and tried to reign in her temper and attempted to take a more business-like approach. "Having that on live TV is going to is going to kill our ratings and make the reapers look weak. We can't risk that with how things are right now."

 

"That's your problem, not mine." Schneider said as he shrugged. "You're in charge of the Department of Life and Death and GrimTV. It's _your_ job to make it look good. Cut away and splice crap if you have to! That head of yours isn't just there to hold your pretty hair."

 

One of the corners of Agnes' mouth twitched when she heard that. She had a few choice words for him but she refrained. She forced out her words to sound as civilly as she could. "Understood, chairman."

 

Schneider smiled, quite pleased with himself. "Very good, Joubert. I expect a wonderful show tonight then. Now be a good girl and run along, you're running a little late, aren't you?"

 

With that the screen disappeared leaving Agnes alone in her office once more.

 

"That bastard!" she growled as she made her way out of her office. She'd have to order the grim reapers to keep an eye on the fledglings and hope for the best.

 

-End of Chapter-


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